


A Puzzle of Three Pieces

by corruptedteacups



Series: Harry Potter, Beyond The Golden Trio [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, Body Positivity, Chubby OC, F/M, M/M, Minor Character(s), Multi, Neglect, Non-Canon Relationship, Non-Canonical Character Death, Original Character(s), Polyamory, Threesome, Threesome - F/M/M, third person
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-05-11 16:26:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 50
Words: 119,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5633314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corruptedteacups/pseuds/corruptedteacups
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After taking a step to change her life, Josephine "Josie" Desmarias is met with more than she expected. Double what she expected to be exact. Working to rid herself of the restrictions implemented at her prior school, and the fear she has of change, Josie figures out exactly who her heart wants her to be, and exactly who her heart wants her to be with. Can she love enough for two?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Time May Change Me

It was pouring, the raindrops drumming against the metal sides of the train cars as the black smoke from the engine joined the dark clouds above. It was just like any other day in London for most people. But then again the passengers on the train were not most people. Inside the train students were buzzing with excitement for a new school year, readying their cloaks and biting down on Caldron Cakes as the green grass of the countryside whizzed by them. 

As the young girl sat on the train, she realized she was leaving her past life behind her. Leaving all she had known, just to try and find who she really was. So, as she rattled down the tracks, and sat alone in her cabin, she wondered if she really would figure out who she really was inside, and if that girl that she’d kept hidden for so long would be allowed to blossom at her new home. She hoped Hogwarts would come to be the warm, inviting place her cousin had claimed it to be. 

It was dark that day, fitting for the transition into the unknown she thought. She was not surprised that no-one had chosen to join her in her cabin. After all, she had just transferred from Beauxbatons, spoke with an accent, would be going into 5th year and was yet to be spoken. She was sure the accent had the least to do with it, but the reaction of a short ginger girl to her speaking gave her less confidence that her accent would be more appreciated than criticized. Her expectations were broken when two boys walked by her open door, paused and poked their heads in to look at her. 

“Hello” they bother said in unison. “Who might you be?” one asked. “And why are you alone?” asked the other. The girl looked up, raising a brow and looking at the two. She was immediately struck by their resemblance, and then by their bright ginger hair. Her mouth twitched in a smile as she nodded to them, her manners getting the best of her. “I am Josephine Desmarais, it’s a pleasure to meet you. “ She struggled through her accent, trying to sound clear enough for them to understand her as much as, and criticize her as little as, possible. They looked at each other. 

“Oi, she’s a transfer isn’t she?” One said to the other. “Seems like it, and from somewhere along the Seine it appears.” As he responded, he plopped down on the seat across from her, crossing his arms and grinning, the other following suit. Josephine turned a bit pink, not used to people being so up front and relaxed during a first greeting. She awkwardly tugged down her skirt, afraid they would notice the curves of her stomach and legs. She wished she would of wore baggier clothes. Now, she didn’t think they would be attracted to her; it was that Josephine was not the thinnest girl in the world, and she tended to get quite a bit of grief about it from her mother’s family and her past classmates. She was never really confident in her looks, mostly because of her mother’s beauty and the large population of Veela blooded witches at Beauxbatons. She thought herself plain when she glanced in the glass of the window her “pondi blue” as her mother called them, eyes set into pale skin staring back at her from under sharp strait light brown bangs. Her short and flipped out hair swung as she turned her head to look at them, taking her bottom lip between her teeth and chewing on it. They just grinned at her, a sparkle in their eye. It was devious, cunning, and something she never saw before. 

“He’s Fred.” One said, nodding to the other, who spoke in unison “He’s George”, and they both finished with a proud “Weasley” and a nod. She couldn’t help but crack a smile, looking them over. They were completely identically in appearance, maybe a little different around the eyes. But besides that, everything was the same. From their shaggy ginger hair, their freckled skin, their wide shoulders, long legs, nose, lips and everything in between, they were identical. “It’s a pleasure.” She said softly, darting her gaze back and forth between theirs. “So where you from?” “And why are you here?” they asked. She furrowed her brow at their curiosity. “Uhm...Chateauroux actually, and I’m transferring from Beauxbatons Academy. My cousin is a Hogwarts student, a Ravenclaw I believe, and his talk of the school made me want to attend.” Be polite Josephine, she told herself, or else they might not like you, her mother’s voice echoed in her ear. “Cool.” They both said together. “But you have to be sorted into Gryffindor” said one, his voice slightly higher than his brothers. “Or else your life will be utterly pathetic.” She tilted her head. “And why is that?” She questioned, half knowing the answer. “Cause you’d be in our house of course.” They said matter -of -factly. She laughed, shaking her head a bit. “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

They grinned at her, and she felt her cheeks heat up a built. She still didn’t quite understand why they were talking to her, but she was glad they were. She had never really met anyone like them before, but she very much enjoyed their personality. They were charming, confident, and utterly amusing. The devious glint in their eyes made her feel warm, like she was going to belong. As her nerves faded, the train jerked to a stop, sending her falling off the seat and onto her knee’s as the lights flickered off. 

“Merde….what was that?” she muttered, forgetting herself and allowing her French to slip through. Getting herself to her feet, she leaned herself out of the doorway, looking down the hallway at the faces of other students. Pulling her wand out of her jacket pocket, she lit up the hallway trying to tell exactly what may be going on. But as the train car rocked, she tumbled backwards into one of them as he fell onto the seat, resulting in her falling over his lap as her wand bounced to the floor and the light went out.   
“Sorry, sorry, I’m so sorry…” she said quickly, righting herself and running her fingers through her hair. “Well it’s not your fault now is it?” said the one she had landed on, a laugh to his voice. “Unless you can control the train!” chimed the other. She smiled shyly, picking up the 6’’ Cherry wood wand, and placing it into her bag. 

Minutes later, the lights flickered back on and the train began to move again. “You should change into your robes.” Said one. “Unless you want to be sorted in that.” Said the other. “We surely wouldn’t mind. “ They winked at her and left with that, closing the door behind them. She flushed, and stood to close the blinds of the cabin, glancing down the hallway to watch them disappear into a cabin four doors down. Shutting the blinds, she changed into her Hogwarts uniform, making sure she looked just right. She was going to make this work. She was going to be happy, she was sure of it. 

Stepping onto the platform, she traced the swirls on her wand in her pocket to ease her nerves, looking around at all the kids her age heading towards a group of carriages while the first years gathered around a very large and wild looking man. She didn’t know what to do, and she started to panic a little. Suddenly a hand tapped her arm. “Miss Desmarais?” a very small man with glasses asked from below her. “Oui, that is me.” She answered. “Follow me.” He said, leading her towards the front of the carriages. She boarded the carriage after him, and it immediately took off, leaving the rest behind her. “The Headmaster has asked that we take you a few minutes ahead of the other students so you could be briefly filled in on how things will work with your case. “ Said the man, peering at her over his glasses. She nodded, her hair bouncing. “Of course, I understand. From what I can tell this doesn’t happen very often” 

They reached the castle in minutes, the stone walls rising above her, taking her breath away as her heart soared with excitement. Stepping out of the carriage, Josephine followed the small man through a set of very large doors. Her mind could not keep up with her eyes as they darted everywhere, taking in everything they possibly could. She was led into a small secluded room, in which very harsh looking women stood in flowing green robes that stared at her through spectacles. Josephine had the urge to curtsy to the woman for good measure, but decided against it. The man left the room, heading through two great doors that she only saw a glimpse of light through, accompanied by a low roar of voices. 

“Miss Desmarias I assume?” The woman asked, looking at her expectantly. Her voice was kinder than her appearance. “Yes madam.” Josephine answered, her voice soft and shaking. “I would like to tell you how today is going to go. Since you have changed schools, you are lucky that most schools of our nature center around the same curriculum, meaning you will be merged with the rest of the 5th year students. But you will need to be sorted, and you will need to select your extra classes. Now, you will be sorted first, before the first years. Once you are sorted you will need to go join your house. After dinner tonight I would like to see you in my classroom, classroom 1B to choose your classes. Is that understood Miss Desmarias?” The woman spoke very sternly, looking at her as she spoke. “Y…Yes madam.” Josie said, clearing her throat. The woman’s gaze softened as she looked over Josephine. “Do not have fear child, you will be fine. If the Headmaster has allowed you to transfer here, then he has faith in you.” The woman’s words gave her comfort, and Josephine smiled softly. “Thank you madam.” 

As the first years filed into the room behind her, the woman gestured for Josephine to step closer to her, ahead of the rest of them. Looking down on the small faces of the new arrivals, she felt at ease. She realized that she was not the only one who was starting something new, that everyone who was at Hogwarts had once been standing where she is now, even the stern woman next to her. But as Professor McGonagall, as she introduced herself, gave the first years the opening speech, she felt the fingers of anxiety tightening on her throat. But she shook them off, standing up straight and placing a small smile on her face. “I am going to be okay.” She told herself as she bounced on her toes. “As long as I am myself, I will be okay. Just be yourself.” It echoed through her mind, the last words her father had spoken to her before she boarded the train. Just be yourself. As the doors to the Great Hall opened, she vowed that she would be herself, and only herself now that her feet were not pinched into tight heeled shoes and satin blue socks.


	2. Begging For Change To Get Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This chapter is shorter than the last, but I promise they will get longer as the story progresses. I was having a hard time with this one for some reason, at least the bit after she was sorted. I hope it okay. Its kind of partially a filler chapter...kinda terrible to say that in the first two chapters huh? Hope you enjoy it. And yes, there is another oc in this chapter. Its my friends character. ))

Her first steps into the Great Hall would be some of the most important steps she ever took. As she stepped in line behind Professor McGonagall, she felt her heart leap into her throat and throbbed in time with her footsteps. The room around her was beautiful, the ceiling above bewitched to look like the clouded sky above the castle, thousands upon thousands of candles floating above her head, illuminating the faces of the students watching them. A warmth filled her from her toes to the end of her flipped hair, a grin spreading across her face as she marveled at the glory of the room around her. The high ceiling made her feel small, a feeling that she didn’t dislike, since everyone probably felt as small as she did. The gnawing nervousness in her stomach was kept at bay by her joy, even though she felt the stare of hundreds on the back of her neck, causing the hair there to stand on end. As she stopped at the front of the room, she turned to look behind her for a familiar face, her cousin, or the boys she had met on the train, but her vision blurred as she felt tears pool in her eyes. She could not pin point the source of them, but it would be wise to assume they were from the joy she held, or the nervousness she hid. In the back of her mind she could hear the dull murmur of someone speaking, but all she could hear was the swirl of questions, worries and excitement that twisted in her mind. 

“Josephine Desmarias!” Her head turned to the voice of Professor McGonagall who had rolled out a very long piece of parchment, calling her name to have her come to the front. As Josephine hesitantly stepped towards the stool and the ratty old hat in front of her, she wondered how long she had been lost in thought, and if McGonagall had called for her more than once. She slowly sat down, the stool creaking as she did. Her chest tightened as she felt the hat slide down over her ears, the fabric rustling. It was dead silent in the hall. Soon after it had settled, a soft voice in her ear caused her to jump.

“A little old for this aren’t we? Well no matter, a house can be chosen at any age. Hmm…you’re brave, yes very brave for making such a change dear. But then there are the nerves. A little worried aren’t we? Where to put you…where…you could do well in…no…there’s a better choice than that.” Her eyes drifted towards a table to her left as she caught a flash of red hair leaning out from the rest of the black shrouded crowd. Two flashes. The voice continued. “No, no, I think the answer is really quite clear.” She bit down on her lip, closing her eyes as she stopped breathing. “Gryffindor!” the hat called out loudly, soon afterwards being lifted from atop her head. She grinned, taking in a deep breath and stepping off the stool, almost skipping towards the table that had since erupted in applause, a few whistles breaking the roar. One dark haired boy reached out his hand to meet hers, another older looking girl patting her on the back as she walked past. She took a seat next to a girl with sandy blonde hair who was talking to a curly haired boy with crooked teeth. The sorting continued on, name after name being called as more and more students joined their house. As Josephine looked around to find her cousin, hoping to catch his eye, she noticed two identical red heads sitting a few chairs down on the opposite side, besides a dark haired boy in glasses and another, ganglier, ginger boy. 

After sorting had finished, the Hogwarts choir stepped in front of the students to sing a song very fitting for such a school, large toads accompanying them though the lyrics. Josephine enjoyed the music, the whimsy of the castle, its students and traditions slowly melting away the prim and proper ways she had been taught. When the song had ended, she clapped politely, smiling as the headmaster gave a short speech. And with the closing of the speech, the feast began, food appearing before her in the blink of an eye. As mountains upon mountains of food unfolded before her, her eyes widened and she grinned widely, immediately piling food onto a plate, forgetting any manners she may have been taught. “You look like you’ve never seen food before. “said the gangly red head sitting across from her thought a mouthful of food. The frizzy haired girl next to him elbowed him in the side, curling her lip at the gravy smeared down his chin. Josephine smiled, laughing a bit despite the nagging fear that he was judging her. Though with his display, she highly doubted it. “Well, the last school I attended was a little too attentive to the “figure” of its students. They do not have food like this there.” She said, popping a roasted baby potato into her mouth with a smile. “So you’re from Beauxbatons? I’ve read about the school.” questioned the girl across from her with the frizzy hair, placing her hands into her lap. Josephine nodded, covering her mouth as she finished chewing. “Oui, I am. My name is Josephine. It’s a pleasure to meet you..uhm..” she trailed off, not knowing any of their names besides the twins. “Hermione. Hermione Granger. “Said the girl bluntly. “Ron Weasley.” Mumbled the boy next to her through a mouthful of pie. The dark haired boy said nothing. He was seemingly preoccupied with something, so she didn’t bother him. He seemed to have enough on his mind right now. 

She reached for another bit of bread, watching the boy across from her make a big deal in retelling his family’s vacation to Egypt. But as she blindly reached for more food, her hand accidentally bumped into another which retracted quite quickly. “I’m sorry!” squeaked the sandy blonde next to her, turning to look up at Josephine. “It’s alright.” Josephine said, smiling sweetly. She looked at the girl, since she hadn’t really done so when she sat down. The girl has pretty blonde hair, with very blunt bangs that almost hid her brown eyes. “What’s your name?” The girl’s eyes widened at the question. “I…I’m Bijou Lemay, I’m a 3rd year...” She said softly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Josephine answered, returning to eating and listening to Ron’s story. She was a little upset when the twin red heads, whom she assumed to be his be his brothers, leaned down the table and snatched the paper from him and joked that he was going to bore all the first years and the new girl out of their minds before they’d even gotten to the dormitories. Looking up and down the table as she ate, Josephine couldn’t help but feel at home. 

After she had completely stuffed herself to the brim, having eaten more food than she ever has, Josephine exited the Great Hall after the Headmasters speech to the first years. Following yet /another/ red headed boy, she was almost to the staircase when she realized McGonagall had asked her to see her after supper. Looking around for someone to help her, she quickly caught the sandy blonde, Bijou exiting the hall behind the rest of her house. Josephine gently touched her arm as she passed; causing the girl to jump so high Josephine feared her shoes came off. “Excuse me, but could you tell me where classroom 1B is? Professor McGonagall asked to see me.” She could tell the girl was struggling to understand her as she spoke the larger words in her accent, but she understood her none the less. The girl nodded, fiddling with her fingers. “Sure, I’ll lead you there. You might want to pay attention so you know where the class is though…” And with that the girl headed off down a corridor, Josephine following close behind. The halls twisted and turned, doors appearing almost out of no-where at all and disappearing without a trace. Finally Bijou led her to a door that was cracked just an inch, light streaming through it. “There you go!” said the girl cheerfully. “Good luck finding your way back!” Josephine nodded, saying a small thanks before stepping into the room and closing the door behind her.


	3. The Name Game

The next morning Josephine woke up with a very large stomach ache and immensely heavy eyelids. Rolling herself out of bed, her toes winced at the cold wooden floor, crying out for the warmth of her quilt. She struggled to get dressed, wanting nothing more than to curl back into her blanket and read the book she had fallen asleep with. Pulling on her uniform, she was grateful for sweater vests, because the gaps between her shirt buttons were far too wide to be normal. As she slipped on her shoes and scrunched her socks around her ankles, she heard a thunder of footsteps from the boy's dormitory echoing down their staircase and up the girls. Her fingers running through her hair to tame it, she headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

The bag her father gave her before she boarded the train dug into her shoulder, the dark leather bending under the weight of her books, parchment and quills. Josephine sat down at the end of a table, watching the clouds roll by over head as she sipped a cup of tea and picked at a plate of eggs. A loud and cheerful voice called out a good morning behind her, and she turned to look at the person she knew to be its owner. The broad shouldered Ravenclaw was making his way down his table, talking happily to people as he passed. Waving her hand to catch his attention, she caught his eye and smiled. Her cousin quickly rushed over to sit with her at her table, throwing his long legs over the bench to straddle it next to her.

Paxton Lefay was a very large boy, his bone structure seemingly set wider than a normal person. His nose was extremely crooked; having been broken and re-set so many times it just remained bent. "Mornin'!" He said cheerfully, green eyes twinkling under dirty blonde curls. She smiled, turning herself to face him. "I tried to find you last night, but I didn't see you anywhere." Though she was so overwhelmed last night it was a miracle she found her own feet. Paxton grinned down at her, chipped teeth gleaming. "I was..uh…preoccupied." he responded, rocking back and forth. Josephine's eyes rolled so extravagantly it was almost painful. Paxton was always after the tail of some poor student, thinking he was in love every other week. "Well hopefully you're not preoccupied when the time comes that I need help desperately!" She threw the back of her hand to her forehead for emphasis, causing him to snicker. "You'll be alright. Now, you've seen me, you're not in mortal danger, and I have to go try and find the book I need for first period, I've seemed to have misplaced it." And with that the sixth year scurried off, grabbing a piece of toast and leaving her alone again.

Soon enough the entire school has jammed themselves into the hall, and the room roared with the sounds of excited voices. As the heads of house passed out their school schedules, Josephine felt someone sit on either side of her, leaning in to look at her classes. "Ghoul studies?" asked a voice to her left. "Ancient runes?" That one came from her right. "Why choose those?" Looking to either side of her Josephine found the twins looking back at her with curious looks. "I thought they sounded interesting." She said simply, folding her schedule and placing it into her bag. "I studied Ancient Runes before, it seemed like an easy choice…" she finished, her voice trailing off as she became unsure of herself. Her chest turned hot under her tie, red splotches probably appearing from embarrassment. They both shrugged, reaching for food and filling a plate each.

"Are these prats bothering you?" Josephine looked up towards the dark haired girl that was now seated across from her. "No, not at all." Her voice was quieter than it was when talking to her cousin, her excitement dying down. "Good, tell me if they do, I need a reason to not feel bad for out flying them." She said, grinning. One of them threw a berry at her, ducking out of the way when she threw one back. "Oi, calm down Angelina. She's met us before, her name's Josephine. "The girl who she was assuming was called Angeline looked at her for confirmation, which she gave with a nod as she took a drink of her juice. "Yeah, she was even in my lap on the train!" Sputtering on her drink, Josephine gave him a shocked look. They both just grinned, chuckling at the juice on her chin. "I fell!" she said, loudly enough to make people turn their head. "We know. " they said together. Angelina rolled her eyes, getting up from the table. "Well I'm going to meet Alicia in the common room. Good luck." With a small smile and a glance at the twins, she walked off, hair flowing behind her.

Josephine glanced at the two boys on either side of her, wondering why they were there. The looked her age, the must have people they'd rather spend their morning around. They seemed outgoing and charming enough to attract many friend, girlfriends even. But perhaps they just wanted to talk to her because she was new; they had shown interest on the train after all. Or she thought they did at least, they remembered her name.

Suddenly remembering their names, she wondered if there was any way to tell them apart. "Which one is which?" she asked, turning to look at both of them in turn. "Which one is which what?" They exclaimed at the same time. "What?" Her brain tried to keep up with their comment. "You said it." They replied. Shaking her head with a smile, she asked which one was Fred and which on was George. "We won't tell." One said. "But you can guess." Said the other. "What if I can't?" Josephine asked, quirking an eyebrow with a sudden spike in confidence. "Then you'll never know." Pursing her lips, she looked at the both of them, analyzing them for anything that wasn't completely identical. After a minute of observation she concluded that there was a difference, she just couldn't pick out what it exactly was. As she looked them over they watched her, trying not to laugh as one made a face at the other when her back was turned. Shaking her head, she went back to her breakfast. "I'll tell you when I figure it out." She said, pushing her eggs into a pile and placing some toast with jam on the plate. The one on the right leaned on the table. "And when, exactly, will that be?". She smiled a bit. "I'll let you know."

Later in the day Josephine found herself sitting in her first class at Hogwarts, Ghoul Studies. As much as she enjoyed the school, she was sure she would enjoy the weekends more. Her curiosity was itching to explore the castle, maybe pulling small pranks on the girls in her dormitory. Josephine liked to prank others, mostly her father. It was never anything big, and most of the time it didn't work. But she found it highly entertaining and liked the planning that went into it. It was completely out of line for a girl of "her upraising" as her past professors had so often told her, but she decided that was exactly the reason why she liked it.

Soon enough into the first lecture, she found herself bored by subjects that she'd covered before, and started to absentmindedly sketch on the corner of her parchment. First a flower, then a bear, a tree, a broomstick, all simple things to keep her mind busy and awake while the professor droned on. "At least I only have two classes today." She thought, swirling her quill in circles on the parchment. Lost in her thoughts she didn't realize the class had ended until the girl next to her bumped her chair as she got up. Quickly standing up and packing up her things, Josephine headed down the corridor back towards the Great Hall for lunch, her stomach grumbling unhappily as she stopped to peer at the forest through a window, spying two red-headed boys being chased away from it by a scraggly looking man and a cat, the sound of laughter floating up from below.


	4. Some Time Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (( I have a feeling this is going to be a long fanfic, since I plan to have it cover from Prisoner of Azkaban to The Deathly Hallows and also have two different endings. If you would please review, I would love to get feedback. This is my first fanfic in 4+ years, so I would love to be able to get some feedback on it. I've quit to many fanfics because I gave up or lost confidence, and I adore this story so much I don't want to do it here as well. Please and thank you!))

The first two week had finished, Josephine had been at Hogwarts for eleven days, and she could not have been happier. Even the homework she had to do excited her, because she was learning somewhere where she didn't feel restricted. She was struggling a little with the reading and writing, her English better spoken than in writing, but she solved that quickly by having her cousin look over any written work she had before she turned it in. The only problem she was having was making friends, having been so caught up in her school work and doing any slight catching up that she completely forgot about it. The girls in her dorm were nice enough, but she didn't talk to them much. One of them was in Quidditch, the other in choir, the other constantly with her boyfriend, so they didn't stay in the room for very long except to sleep.

She had sat in the table next to the twins during Transfiguration on Wednesday, and discovered she had most of her classes with them, the only ones without them Divination, Ancient Runes and Ghoul Studies. They made the classes much more interesting, that was for sure. During Potions on Monday they somehow managed to blow up a caldron five tables away from them, much to the dismay of the poor Slytherin girl who was covered in an unfinished Draught of Peace. Josephine could not stop laughing and almost knocked over their own draught, much to the dismay of her partner. The twin's antics and her laughter put all three of them in detention, which was spent cleaning up the mess they had made earlier in the day.

Waking up around noon after sleeping in on Saturday, Josephine dressed in more normal clothes, having seen students walking around the grounds in normal clothing as she glanced out her window. Tugging her sweater down over her stomach, and making sure the tights under her skirt had no holes in them, she headed down for lunch. The common room was empty when she passed through it, but as she stepped through the portal she could hear the echoes of voices from downstairs. As she headed towards them, she was distracted by the moving paintings on the walls, and did not notice the odd substance on the landing. She nearly fell forward as her feet stuck, catching herself on the banister before she hit the floor face first. Looking down as she righted herself, she found her shoes to be surrounded by dark purple, thick goo. Trying to pull her shoes out of it, she failed to notice two more pairs standing in front of her. That was, until there was the sound of someone clearing their throat above her head. Looking up, she found the ginger twins standing in front of her, both with amused yet crestfallen expressions.

"Sorry about that. " "We were hoping to catch our brother." They said in turn, hands shoved into their pockets. "Percy?" she asked, all too familiar with their brother, who had insisted on telling her every rule there was for everything about Hogwarts. They nodded, one of them pulling something out of his pocket. She hadn't talked to the two of them much, only seeing them in class, in passing, and when they would sit next to her during meals. Of course, they said things in passing or casually but that was about it. She really didn't know much except from what she had inferred from their interactions and from listening to people talk. She knew that they were known as pranksters, were part of a very large pureblood family, weren't too well off, were the Hogwarts Quidditch team's beaters, earned good marks despite their devious nature, and were apparently well liked by many of the student. Earlier in the week she had overheard a group of girls talking about how they'd grown since the following year, and apparently had gotten far more attractive over the summer. As they poured a clear liquid over the goo, making it harden and crack, she found that she didn't disagree with the rumor she had heard.

"Merci." Dusting off her sneakers, she looked at them and smiled. "Mer-what?" one asked. "Its thank you in French you git." "Oh, right." She rolled her eyes at their banter, but stood up a little straighter when she noticed something. Thinking back to any time they talked to someone, she realized that one's voice was slightly higher than the others. She would take the time to test this theory at lunch. "Perhaps you should try and prank your brother in a less public area." She ran her fingers through her hair, leaning against the banister. "Good idea." One said, scuffing the area where the goo-dust had collected with his shoe. After a moment of awkward silence that led Josephine to leave tooth indents in her lip, the one with the deeper voice spoke up. "If you didn't have plans, want to walk to lunch with us?" Shrugging, she replied. "Sure, it is not like I have anything else to do." Her voice lost its strength halfway through her sentence. "What? No meetings with friends or boyfriends?" The other said, smiling to show he meant no offense. She snorted, heading towards the Great Hall as they walked on either side of her. "Very funny." She muttered.

They left the conversation there as the walked in silence, and Josephine was grateful. The fact that she had yet to make a friend upset her greatly, because it was the only thing she was having trouble adjusting with. Even thought she didn't have many friends at Beauxbatons, she still had people to be around. The three started to fill their plates as they sat down, the twins taking a place across from her instead of their normal spot on either side of her. "Have you started that paper for McGonagall yet?" one asked her after several minutes of silence, making her jump. "I already finished." She stated quietly, looking at them. "Already? It's only been three days. " "I did it in the library after Herbology, finished it Thursday night. " she stated simply, shrugging her shoulders. "Did you sleep?" they asked at the same time, raising an eyebrow. Nodding, she reached for another baked potato. "Am I odd?" she asked softly, suddenly feeling unsure of herself. "No, most people just don't finish stuff that quickly" said the one with the deeper voice. She nodded, looking at the two of them from underneath her lashes as she ate, wondering about them.

Through the next week the twins found her more and more, talking to her during meals and saying hello to her in the common room. Although she was extremely confused as to why they were paying attention to her, she didn't mind it. It wasn't till she realized what was happening till her dorm mate asked her a question while she was doing her homework in on the first night of October.

"Why are you always around the Weasley twins?" the blonde asked, throwing herself across Josephine's bed. "I am not always around them, they just find me often." She answered, closing her book with a thud. "If you're looking to get with one of them, then it's you against half of the students female population…and maybe a few of the males. " Josephine felt her entire upper half heat up with a dark red blush. "It's not like that. I'm not fit to "get with" anyone." She muttered, chewing on her lip. "Then what's it like?" Her companion asked, raising a thick brow. Catherine Carell was an extremely nosy and outgoing girl, a nice girl, but an extremely nosy one. "We're…just friends I suppose. "

Friends. Were they friends? The question raced through her mind all the next day, all through breakfast as they joked with Lee Jordan across from her, as she watched them disappear into a secret passage with a crooked grin, as they winked at her when they raced down the staircase after dinner. Friends. Was that the word that could describe her relation to the twins? As she sat in the Gryffindor common room late Sunday night, the twins came tripping in through the portal from sneaking past Filch and flopped on the couch next to her, she realized that's exactly what they were. "Hello Fred, George." She said, looking at them in turn. "Figured it out eh?" "Took you long enough. "

At least I'm figuring it out.


	5. Up All Night For Good Fun

From then on she felt much more comfortable in her skin around people. Realizing that she actually had friends in this new place made her more open to talking to new people, and from there she was more confident when people reacted positively. It wasn't till close to Halloween that people started calling her, Fred, and George a trio jokingly, a phrase which Josephine didn't know how to feel about. She didn't see them as anything special, just classmates, friends. But she could see how people could see them as a trio. Ever since the day they had trapped her in a pile of goo, they'd been hanging out together multiple time a week, at meals, in the library, in the common room. Of course, part of that was doing homework for their classes, but they usually ended up ignoring it at the end anyway.

Another part of their interactions was watching the twins practice for the upcoming Quidditch season, something that fascinated Josephine to no end. She was not the best at flying, she could really only do it for travel purposes, never anything that took as much skill as Quidditch. She knew she would surely be hit dead on with a bludger as soon as they were released, or she would fall off her broom trying to avoid it. But the twins held their own against them, maybe even out matched them. Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor captain called them "human bludgers", and they lived up to the name.

Josephine wasn't allowed to sit in the stands and watch them because Wood was so protective of his team's chances at winning the cup on his last year, so instead she would sit on the grass far enough away to see the pitch, but close enough to tell what was going on so she could watch. It was hard to tell which twin was which from that distance, but she could at least pick the two of them out by their clubs. She really enjoyed watching them, and was able to read when Wood was giving them speeches, planning strategies, or while they talked amongst the rest of the team after practice.

It was after Quidditch practice one evening when she realized what it meant when people called them a trio. Standing up as she saw the crowd that was the Gryffindor Quidditch team, all of them chattering loudly as they came towards her, Josephine discovered she had been nicknamed. "Hey Josie, the twins are at the back." Angelina commented as she passed, gesturing behind her. Josephine hardly even recognized that the comment was directed at her.

Confused, she followed Angelina with her eyes as she passed, a question on her lips. "Josie!" she heard a pair of voices call out as the rest of the team passed her. "Oi, Josie!" Confused, she turned her head to see the twins walking up the hill grinning widely. "Pardon?" Josephine was very confused; she'd never heard anyone refer to her as that before, she'd only ever been referred to as her full name. Fred grinned at her he passed her, turning himself around to walk backwards as they headed up the hill. "We've decided that Josie is a better name for you." "It's short and less complicated. " Said George as he matched her strides. "Are you calling me short and basic?" she questioned, pushing hair behind her ear. They shook their heads. "It's just more suitable." "It doesn't hurt that it sounds cute either." Fred chuckled, linking his hands behind his back. "Shut it." Josephine retaliated quickly, looking down at her feet as she walked. They two of them still wore their uniforms, causing them to look taller and broader shouldered than normal, meaning they seemed to tower over Josephine, her short-ish stature putting her eyelevel with the twin's collars normally. As the three of them walked into the castle, she thought about their so called "trio". They were confident, outgoing, charming, full of energy, intelligent and talented, while she was only good at some classes, usually quiet, anxiety ridden and still trying to bring out her inner confidence. They probably seemed an odd group, and she thought the twins fit in much better with Angelina, Lee and Alicia than with her.

But it wasn't like the twins cared if she didn't fit in with them or not. None of the other three seemed to care either. That was the beauty of Gryffindor though. There wasn't the stigma of social groups like at Beaxbatons or in a house like Slytherin. In Gryffindor everyone just belonged, it was family. A loud, rambunctious, odd mix of a family, but a family.

On the way back to the tower, the twins had told her to stay in the common room while they changed, ignoring her worry about it being after dark. Waiting for the twins, Josephine laid herself out on the couch, crossing her ankles and looking up at the ceiling. A few minutes later, the two of them came down the stair so quietly she didn't even notice them, their appearance hovering over the back of the couch startling her. As the three of them laughed at her surprise, the twins laid out their plan.

"We're sneaking out to Honeyduke's cellar, we've never gotten another person out with us before. But we'd like to give it a go. " George explained, giving her a pleading look. Fred had draped himself over a chair by the fire, and was concerning himself with a large folded piece of parchment. Josephine wasn't convinced.

"You two are going to end up getting me expelled. And I am not going home because I snuck into the cellar of a sweets shop." She did not want to get sent back to Beauxbatons when she was just now finally getting settled, but sneaking around with the twins did sound very appealing. While pondering, she had begun picking at the skin around her nails, nerves forcing her hands to keep themselves occupied, even if she would soon bleed from the torn flesh.

"We're not going to get you in trouble. If we get caught, and we won't, we'll take the blame." Fred said from the chair, sitting up and folding the map back up. "Besides, Filch is in the Astronomy tower now, we have plenty of time." Josephine didn't even bother to question how he knew that.

Ten minutes late she found herself sneaking down the staircase with a twin on each side of her. Her heart beat widely in her chest, the list of things that could go wrong forming in her head. Filch could catch them, his cat could catch them, a teacher could catch them, she could get left behind, they could get in trouble for trespassing, for theft if they took anything, a dementor could be too close to the school, she could mess them up, then they would hate her, and so many other situations ran through her head, some more farfetched than others. She guessed they sensed her apprehension; because as they ducked into any empty classroom, George leaned down to speak near her ear.

"Calm down. It'll be fine if you just relax." Fred turned at his brothers' voice, raising an eyebrow. " Yeah, plus we know what we're doing. Don't you trust us?" Josie snorted at his question. "That statement is a trap and you know it." She muttered, following them as they snuck through a door behind a tapestry. All she got in response was a chuckle. Their reassurance did calm her down a bit, the rest of their adventure going smoothly. It wasn't until the trip back that trouble almost caught them.

As they headed up the corridor towards the staircase, weighed down with pockets full of sweets, the sound of claws on stone broke their muffled laughter. Grabbing her arm, Fred pulled her behind a very large stone statue of a dragon while his brother ducked behind a partially open door. Mrs. Norris was stalking the landing ahead of them, pacing back and forth in front of their exit.

Fred had pressed himself into the corner, his hands covering her mouth and holding her waist to keep her quiet and still. Her heart pounded in her chest, her eyes squeezing shut, and she was sure Fred could hear her heartbeat in this position, her back pressed against his chest. Fred's fingers dug into her ribcage as Mrs. Norris padded past them, pacing back and forth in front of their hiding spots, and Josephine's fingers grasped his arm and squeezed in return. She could feel how hot her skin had gotten along her chest and cheeks, and she slowly opened her eyes to watch the mangy cat walk by them once again. After a few minutes of this, Josephine got an idea, and despite her better judgment, went with it.

Slipping her hand into her pocket, she took out a single Berti Bott's Bean. She felt Fred stiffen behind her, but she ignored it. Slowly lifting her hand, she threw it down the corridor so it bounced off the wall and around the corner. She was surprised she didn't miss; she was surprised that it actually worked. Mrs. Norris took off after it, disappearing around the corner and the sound of her feet fading away.

They took off immediately, sprinting up the stairs and through the portal. As they collapsed on the floor, Josephine's heart pounding in her chest, they started to laugh. First some giggles, then some quiet chuckles which progressed into a full fit of laughter. The three of them collapsed on the couch, trying to keep their laughter down so no-one upstairs can hear. As they sat there, watching the fire burn, unwrapping their candy and talking about what they wanted to do next weekend, Josephine…Josie, realized that it wasn't the nervousness that had her heart pounding all night. It was them.


	6. On Fire

The night after the sneaking out incident Josie found herself having strange dreams, and all they consisted of were her and the twins. Flashes of Fred's fingers pressed into her waist, of George talking in her ear, of the three of them lying across the couch, their hips pressed against each other and their shoulders brushing. She noticed more about the situations they had experienced last night when they were shown again like this, things her senses did not pick up in the excitement of last night.

She woke up with a start, her heart beating fast and her cheeks flushed. Even as she rolled over to hide in her pillow, she could still feel Fred's hand against her side and the tingle that spread out across her body from his palm. George's breath fanned out across her neck still, the hairs there standing on end still as she brushed her fingers across the skin. She sat up, pulling the curtains aside and placing her feet on the floor. Grabbing her sweater from last night, she could smell them on it. They were the only people who could ever have that scent, the only two who could share it. Gunpowder, leather, chocolate, and peppermint were the recognizable notes, oddly mixed together with what could only be described as…them.

Shaking her head, Josie quickly changed into her uniform, fixing the slight frizziness of her hair with a headband and heading downstairs. Her hopes of avoiding them until class died the moment she entered the common room, Fred and George leaning on the wall by the bulletin board. The two of them, along with Lee Jordan, pushed away from the wall and matched pace with her.

"Hello boys." She said simply as they passed. "We were just telling Lee about your magic bean." Fred said, holding open the painting as they passed through it. "Oh really? You mean my dim witted attempt at an escape plan." She said, adjusting her bag on her shoulder as she headed down the staircase. George slid past her on the banister, smiling. "A brilliantly dim witted attempt. " "Stop that! You're going to get yourself killed." She grabbed his robe and yanked him back onto the stairs, her pulse throbbing from anxiety. All three of the boys chuckled at her outburst, following her into the Great Hall. As she sat down at their table, she could see her roommates exchange suggestive glances and raise their eyebrows at her. The twins had never walked in with her before, and she was out late with them last night. She could see them assuming what happened, her cheeks flushing at the idea that anything flirtatious or even, dare she say, sexual could of happened. But she knew that's what they were thinking.

As the day progressed, she felt more awkward than ever before as she tried to forget the dream the best she could, but her resistance was futile. She kept thinking about it, and she was surely not going to quit being the twin's friend because she was a little flustered. Their newfound closeness and fascination with her didn't help though. Ever since her "brilliant bouncing bean" they had become closer to her, included her more than before.

She realized that when people say that attraction changes how you see things, they spoke the truth. Ever since breakfast she had been recognizing things that she knew the twins always did, but never noticed. Like how George smiled more to the left, Fred more to the right, or how they laughed differently, or how their handwriting was different. Josie thought it was ridiculous to notice these things, but she noticed them anyway. Within a few days, the reality of what was going on completely hit her. It had only been 7 weeks she'd been at Hogwarts, a seemingly short time, and she had started to like someone...two someones…and they were the Weasley twins. This couldn't be good.

As soon as she got a break, she began to write a letter to her mother. She didn't have anyone else she felt confident enough to talk to about this, sadly, she knew her mother would blow it way out of proportion. Her mother, Delphine, was a little over dramatic, and anything that Josie did that she could relate to was treated like the most important moment of her life. Grabbing some parchment and quill, Josie sat herself in the corner of the common room, forgetting to write in French until halfway through, hoping her mother's second language would kick in.

"Dear Mother,

School is going well, my work is challenging, but I am keeping up with the other students. I've made a small handful of friends, and have gotten comfortable in my house. I'm Gryffindor by the way, I know I haven't sent you a many letters as I promised, but things have been a bit hectic here. I am sorry though, I should of sent you one the night I arrived.

Speaking of friends, I have a few. One is named Bijou, she's younger and a very sweet but skittish girl, she helps with my Divination homework sometimes. Another is a Ravenclaw girl I sit next to in Transfiguration, she's extremely intelligent but thinks harshly of herself. Her name is Fauna. My roommates aren't exactly my friends, though we do get along very well. I have three friends that I met through the next two I'll talk about, their names are Angelina, Alecia and Lee.

But the two most important things I would like to talk about are the two boys who have made…an impact on my life here. I met them on the train ride here, and ever since we've just become friends. Well now that we've settled into being friends, and are around each other more, I've noticed something.

Mother I think I like them. And I know you know what I mean when I say like. I don't know what to do about it. I should have probably told you before I said this that the boys are twins, Fred and George are their names. I don't just like one of them, I like them both…and I don't think I can just like one of them. I know you're probably freaking out, because I've never liked anyone having gone to an all-girls school, but I need advice. They make my heart race and make me feel…strange. They're so charming, devious, intelligent, funny, and yes, attractive. Very, very attractive. According to Alecia, I've met them after a summer of growth it seems, because last year they were not as visually pleasing as they are now. They were, but it just got…more pleasing. I don't know what to do, but there is no way I am telling them. The humiliation of rejection from two people at the same time would be too much. Please help me.

Love and miss you, Josephine.

P.S. Send Father the best, I love you both. See you at Christmas!"

Signing her letter and rolling it up, she headed to the Owlery to send it off. The autumn chill was starting to kick in as she pulled her robe around her, quickening her pace so she could still make it to her first class after lunch.

The owlery was her least favorite place, mostly because of the stairs to get to it and the substance that would obviously cover the surface of a place made for owls. As she stepped inside an owl near the top immediately flew down, almost missing landing on her arm. The pygmy owl nuzzled her hand as she tied the note to its leg, running her thumb under its chin as she spoke softly in French. "Rentrez chez Georgette." It took off from her arm, circling around her once before disappearing outside.

The rest of the day went on without much excitement, it wasn't until she was trying to help Lee and the twins with their History of Magic homework that things started happening that sparked the fire that had started to build inside of her.

Sighing as she stretched in front of the fire late after everyone else had gone to bed, rubbing her temples at Lee's lack of grasp on how wands were first discovered and patented. Fred finally sighed and rolled onto the floor next to her after she had explained it for the fourth time that night. "I think we should quit this for now, it's too late to try and understand all of this now." He said, setting his chin on his palm and looking at Lee in the chair above him. "Yeah, let's wrap it up for tonight." George added, slamming his book shut and tossing it on the floor.

Lee agreed, hauling himself to his feet and picking up his books. "I'm going to bed; you three can stay down here by yourselves to play as you please." He said, winking at her as he passed, earning a ball of parchment in the back of the head. "Goodnight." Josie called after him. She knew that Lee and Angelina had picked up on her attraction towards the twins, and the both of them had taken to teasing her about it. George shook his head, throwing a crumpled draft of his Transfiguration paper into the fire and stretching across the couch.

They sat in silence for a long time, listening to the fire crackle and pop. Josie had almost drifted off to sleep right there, wrapped up in her sweater, basking in the flames warmth and just listening to the twin's breath. She was feeling her eyes getting heavy when George spoke her name, causing her to jump a bit. "Oui?" she asked, turning her head away from the fire and toward them, finding them both staring back at her. "Do you like it here?" Fred asked her, his cheek resting on his arms. Smiling softly, she nodded. "Yes, I love it here. It's the most wonderful place I've ever been, its home now." They both smiled a bit, opposite corners of their mouths twitching up. There was another long moment of silence, in which all three of them looked at each other in contempt. It was comfortable, the most comfortable she'd felt, even since coming to Hogwarts. She started to wonder how much of her joy in the school came from them. They'd always been there, since the train, her first day, first class, everything.

Thinking about this, Josie realized how much she cared about them, how much she valued their growing friendship. She would never want to ruin that by revealing her attraction to them. It would make it all too awkward, too difficult. But even as she said this to herself the reality of her feelings pushed through, their gaze warming her to the deepest part of her soul.

Fred broke the silence, pushing himself up. "We should go to sleep, still three days until the weekend." George nodded, muttering an agreement and standing up. Josie went to stand, but found two hands in front of her as she sat up. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she took their hands and let them pull her to her feet. Fire shot up her arms, standing her hair on end as their hands met. She had never touched either of them so directly before.

Josie quickly let go of them, picking her books up to hide the suddenness of her release. "Merci…" she muttered, tucking her hair behind her ear while brushing her fingers against her cheeks to check how warm they may be. "You're welcome." They said in unison, causing her to laugh lightly. "See you boys tomorrow." Was all she said as she headed towards the staircase, books under her arm.

"Josie." She heard them say behind her as she reached the third step. Turning to look at them, she was met with them standing right behind her. "You're going to Zonko's and Honeyduke's with us on the Hogsmead trip…" "Right?" they said in turn, quirking an eyebrow at her. Her heart unnecessarily skipped a beat. She knew they were not trying to be flirtatious, even though they often came across as such. "Of course." She said softly, smiling gently at them. "Goodnight." She turned and headed up the stairs, their wishes for good dreams drifting up after her as her hands tingled with their warmth.


	7. Reaching Out, Touching Me

The next few days went off with no real happenings concerning Josie's feelings, her and the twins trying to accomplish all the homework they could before Hogsmead weekend, not wanting to have any responsibilities. It was Friday morning when she received a response from her mother, her owl Georgette slipping on some spilled jam as she landed between her and George. The small owl waved its leg at her impatiently as she untied the parchment, giggling at her pet's predicament. Wiping the raspberry from the tiny claw, Josie pat her owls head and sent it on its way, unrolling the parchment as she flew off. Tying the silver ribbon her mother had used to attach the letter around her wrist, and looking over the letter as chewed on toast.

"Ma belle fille,

It's so wonderful to hear from you! Your father is at work right now, so I hope my English is good enough for you to read it. I'm so glad you are doing well, we were very worried so you would not settle in as well as you did at Beuxbatons. We cannot wait to see you at Christmas and hear it all and see what you have studied. I hope they teach you well. It's wonderful that you're making friends; I was afraid you would not have after you left all those lovely girls behind when you changed schools. I hope your new friends are as beautiful as the last.

Honey, it's a crush! You've never had a crush before! I have waited for this day for a lifetime! But two boys, twin? You're turning into your mother after all, dear! But if you're going to get a boyfriend, and I hope you do, you will eventually have to choose; unless you expect to live the life you have with two men hiding behind you ... in fact, that would not be so bad than. Your father would be shocked, your grandmother may have a heart attack, but I'm sure it would be rewarding.

Just kidding of course! Honey, you really seem like these boys, and you're very young and very inexperienced. Do what your heart tells you, do not be afraid to take risks and have fun. Both boys sound like they can start fire in you.

Do not worry too much. If you need medication, I can always send it with Georgette. Relax; you have so much to do still. And while good marks are great, do not forget to be a bit wild. You have changed schools to a reason lapin, enjoy.

Amour, Mère

P.S Your father sends you new clothes to go with the colors of your house. Although red is not your best color, they will be beautiful on you. Many kisses!"

Josie sighed, rolling her eyes at her mother's enthusiasm and rolling the parchment up. Thanks mom. She thought to herself, throwing the rest of her toast on her plate. She knew her mother meant well, but the over excitement of Josie actually having a crush on someone made her feel terrible. Josie never really liked people in the first place, possibly because of the people she had been around her entire life. The only boy, or person besides her parents, she had ever gotten along with was her cousin, and now she had three male friends. It was odd, and probably a shock to her mother. But she didn't like her struggles with her feelings being made into a major event by her parents. Shoving the letter into her bag, she told herself that she would reply when her package got here, for now settling with dropping her head down onto the table, narrowly missing the spilled jam.

She felt a nudge in her side a few seconds later, and she lifted her head slightly to look at Fred looking down at her with an amused but confused expression. "You alright?" He asked, looking her face over as it slowly turned red. She sat up, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm fine. My mom just sent me a letter, she's…she's a something." She said laughing a bit, looking at him. George looked up from his breakfast on the other side of her. "You should meet our mother." Fred nodded. "Lovely woman, but there's a reason our brother prefers dragons." Josie was immediately interested. "What brother?" This questioned launched into a discussion about the Weasley family, the three oldest brothers ahead of them being the main topic.

Bill and Charlie were an interesting topic, while she knew Percy already, but the thing that she noticed was how they twins talked like they would never accomplish or be looked upon by their parents like their elder siblings. Their discussion went far into breakfast, Josie becoming interested in their family, the size, their home and the way it ran. She had started to wish that she had grown up with so many people to look after her during her life by the time they had to go to class, the idea of the Weasley family seeming wonderful to the mind of an only child who grew up in a city apartment.

The rest of the day was boring to say the least, the majority of their time on breaks working to finish their essay for Potions so they could forget it over the weekend and have fun. They worked late into Friday evening, countless drafts being tossed away into piles as Josie, Lee and the Twins tried their hardest to write papers that Snape would at least be only mildly annoyed by.

It was early Saturday morning that she awoke, the excitement for her first trip to Hogsmead stirring in her stomach. She got up and dressed quickly, going for comfort before remembering that Fred and George had asked her to hang out with her specifically. Thinking about it a bit, she decided she should change, taking her mother's words to take advantage of the new freedom here. She ran her hands through her hair, annoyed at the mess that was her wardrobe. Finally she found a gray corduroys, a black and gray striped cardigan, and a red blouse with a bow at the neck. Slipping on her sneakers, she found the cardigan far too big for her, something she rarely experienced, and found comfort in it. Piling some money into her bag after emptying her school supplies from it, she set off downstairs for breakfast.

She sat down in the nearly empty hall, sipping on orange juice and watching the people file in as the morning went on. She was staring into must have been a very interesting pile of scrambled eggs on her plate when the twins sat next to her, both ready for the trip, in opposite colors of shirt and jacket. "Morning. " they said in unison, grabbing plates and starting to eat. "Good morning." She said back, going back to her eggs. The three sat in silence as Lee and the rest of their house came down, eating enough to last them till lunch and waiting until it was time to leave for Hogsmead.

Hogsmead to her was as wonderful and new as Hogwarts was a new week ago. The way the town was built and the people there were so different from what she was used to, it made everything about the town that was so boring to everyone else, so endearing to her. Fred and George had talked her ear off the entire way there, telling her everything about Zonk's Joke Shop they possibly could. She enjoyed their excitement, but all she really wanted to do was get there and see what they were talking about. She enjoyed visual stimulation, change and environments interesting her the most.

After arriving in Hogsmead, the students quickly split up, Lee following the twins as they led her towards Zonko's. Leaves crunched under their feet as George slipped his hand into hers, grasping her fingers and weaving in and out of students with her. Fred followed behind them, talking to Lee about ideas of the new things that could have come in over the summer.

Josie felt her chest and face heat up from embarrassment from her hand being held, the familiar fire spreading up her arm from her fingertips. She was short of breath by the time they reached the door of the shop, George pulling her inside with Fred and Lee right behind them. The store was covered floor to ceiling with different prank and humor accessories, and Josie quickly realized why they had wanted her to come with them. She was immediately interested in everything, following closely behind the twins as they looked at the new arrivals, the embarrassing contact between her and George's hand dulling to a comforting warmth that kept her grounded as she floated through the store, her heart light with happiness. But this didn't last long.

"Oi, lover boy, you realize this isn't a primary school trip, holding hands with a buddy isn't required." Lee joked, nudging George in the shoulder while they looked at magically exploding seat cushions. Josie immediately pulled her hand from his grasp, having not been fully aware of it since they entered the shop. She heard George joking back at Lee and playfully smacking him as she turned away, hiding behind a display of squawking rubber chickens as her face turned red and she started to feel her throat close up with embarrassment. It was a while before the twins found her again, her back against the wall and her arms over her chest. She was breathing deeply and counting slowly to herself, trying to reduce her anxiety when Fred rounded around a display and caught sight of her. George followed after him moments later, the two of them, standing in front of her with worried expressions.

"Hey, are you alright?" George asked, his hands shoved in his pockets. "You kind of disappeared. It takes some pretty advanced magic to pull that off." Fred joked, leaning down to catch her eye and making her crack a smile. "I'm fine, just didn't feel too well. But it's all better. "She said softly, the tightness in her throat slowly relaxing. Stepping closer to her, Fred gently rubbed her arm, the gesture comforting and frustrating at the same time. He then tugged at her gently, he and his brother giving her a smile that had made many a girl's heart leap, and nodded their heads back towards the center of the shop. Pushing off from the wall, she followed them around the store once again, looking around as the three of them talked.

Josie had learned that Alecia had apparently dragged Lee off to Honeydukes, which was explained to her by Fred with a suggestive raise of a brow. "He took a liking to her first year, it never really let up, even after McGonagall yelled at him for "fraternizing" during Quidditch games. " George explained as they looked at a wall of biting teacups. Josie laughed softly, reaching for a cup a bit higher than she could manage, even when on her toes. It was grabbed by another, and she turned to find Fred holding the cup out to her with a smile. She almost dropped it when he passed it into her hands, her muttered French thank you barely heard of the clatter of the shop, her blush hidden by her downward gaze.

They left the shop with a bag each, the three heading towards Honeydukes as the sun grew higher in the sky. Entering the shop, Josie quickly wished she had brought more money. She never really had sweets like these before not all in one place, of course she had been in the storeroom beneath the store, but they had quickly grabbed a few things and left. There were things she hadn't even heard of waiting to be exchanged for her money. They quickly came and left from the shop, Josie holding them up with her insistence to try everything she could. She finally agreed to leave with far too much candy and a promise to share with them.


	8. Mixed My Medicine

They spent an hour showing her around the rest of Hogsmead after leaving Honeydukes, and the three eventually wandered near the forest near the Shrieking Shack. Sitting down against a tree, the three of them looked at what they had gotten that day, the cool breeze ruffling their hair as it knocked leaves from the branches above. Josie was chewing on candied violets at the moment Fred ate a candy that caused him to hiccup and croak like a frog, which in turn caused her to nearly choke on a petal and double over laughing. "Frog in your throat?" she asked through giggles, ducking the wrapper that was then tossed at her forehead. "That was terrible, you should have better puns than that by now." He said, clearing his throat and rolling his eyes at her. George found it quite funny, chuckling through a mouthful of chocolate. She began to dig through her bag of Zonko's goodies, looking through everything she had bought, planning in her head whom to use them on. Her father was getting the Nose Biting Teacup, that's was for sure.

After a few minutes of rummaging through her bag, she heard voices coming down towards them. Probably a student going to look at the shack, but it was still unsettling to Josie to have people coming towards her that she couldn't see. It wasn't until they came nearer and she could see who they were that dread really hit her. Three Slytherins, two girls and a boy were loudly laughing and pushing each other on the path, coming directly towards them. Josie didn't really get along with any of the Slytherins, the only one she could stand was one of the girls in Ron Weasleys year, but she only saw her in passing, and she could only stand her because the girl told off another Slytherin girl who made fun of Josie for her zipper on her skirt breaking, and helped her fix it afterwards. But none of these three were her, and she knew these three as soon as she heard their laughter.

The two girls were in her year, and both were nasty people. She never really paid attention to their names; she was always too focused on trying to be as invisible as possible when around them. Both of them were in their Potions class, but Josie also had them in Ancient Runes. They didn't like Josie at all, and Josie didn't like them in return. Her first day in Ancient Runes they had teased her for accent within seconds of her speaking, as well as poking fun at her flipping hair and…larger, figure. With them was Marcus Flint, who she only knew from hearing the twins, Lee, Angelina, Alecia, and Oliver Wood talk about him. He was the Slytherin's Quidditch captain, and absolutely terrible in every way according to rumor. And all three of them were about to pass her and the twins.

She scooted closer to Fred, hoping to hide behind him in case they looked their way. Neither of the twins had paid much attention to the three people coming towards them, they were too interested in their new toys. Sadly, her plan failed, the dark haired Slytherin girl that hated her passionately for no reason caught sight of her, a smirk rising from her lips seeing her with the twins. She turned her path farther towards them, followed by Marcus and the other girl, now all three of them sporting sickening grins.

Josie tried to act like she didn't see them, her eyes downcast as she stood up, dusting her pants off and trying to sound as chipper as possible. "How about we go back, I still haven't had anything to drink." She said hurriedly, picking up her bag and looking at them impatiently. They had only just looked up when she heard the footsteps stop beside her.

"Must be good to have someone who doesn't understand what you're saying to tease constantly, right Weasley?" The girl beside them had a voice that was nasal and loud, causing Josie to wince. The twins immediately turned to look at the three Slytherins, a flash between confusion and anger in their eyes. "I can understand you just fine." Josie said softly, crossing her arms over her stomach. "What, I'm sorry, we only speak English." Said the other, a tall girl with short blonde curls. She felt Fred and George stand on either side of her, their shoulders pulled back and their expressions hard. "Really? Because all I can see coming out of your mouth is bullshit." Their eyes turned to Fred, Marcus Flint's eyes flashing dangerously. "Oh isn't this sweet, the muggle loving blood traitors sticking up for another outcast." The blonde said, laughing at her own words. "They must be used to being around vermin, judging by what must be in their home! But they are a cute trio, a perfect match for the little French runaway. "She ended her sentence with a terrible impression of Josie's accent, causing Josie to wince and chew on her lip. "Tell us again Josie, I don't remember. Were you kicked out of Beauxbatons for being too ugly or because they couldn't order uniforms in your size?" Georges knuckles cracked as his hands balled into fists. The dark haired girl spoke up. "Now, now Seraphina, she has gotten a bit smaller since we first saw her. Must have taken my advice to stop eating. "

Marcus Flint was in stitches, nearly doubled over he was laughing so hard. Meanwhile Josie had started to hyperventilate, the interaction pushing her anxiety to the highest it had been since she left Beauxbatons. She hadn't moved from her spot since the three had shown up, and was getting to the edge of her breaking point. "Why don't you three go slither back under the rock you came from, huh?" George said. "Let the girls have their fun Weasley" Marcus said through his laughter, his grin making Josie's stomach turn. "This is fun? Fun is you with a bludger wedged between your teeth." "Fun is watching you pathetically attempt to score underhanded points while the school watches Gryffindor catch the snitch." "Fun is knowing that your crooked grin has never made anyone jump your knickers." "Fun is not watching three people with too many issues with themselves…" "And their mum" "…pick on someone because they aren't a stuck up prick." The twins spoke in turn, then finally in unison. "So shove off."

Fred had put himself between her and them so fast she hadn't seen him move, his arms crossed as he stared down his nose at the three Slytherins. George stayed at her side, but both of them were tense. She had never seen them be so serious. Marcus's smile had faded to a tight lipped scowl. "I hope you two quick are as quick as your mouth first match. "He said, crossing his arms. "Don't worry 'bout it." Fred's voice was soft and deadly as turned from them to Josie and George. "Let's go sit behind the Hogshead, it probably smells better there." George added, tugging Josie back towards town as Fred led the way.

It wasn't until they were almost into town that Josie collapsed, her knees giving way as she fell against a tree, her ankle twisting awkwardly. Wrapping her arms around her legs as she curled in on herself, she heard both twins stop and kneel on either side of her, crowding her. She needed to slow her heart rate down, needed to breathe normally. "Back. Off." She said sternly, looking up at them through her bangs as they retreated a few feet away. She was too hot, her chest and neck broken out in red hives. Ripping her sweater off, she sat down completely, stretching her legs out letting the wind roll over her.

It was a few minutes later that she looked up, her breathing slowed to a normal rate. "Je suis désolé." She muttered softly, leaning her head back against the tree. "Are you alright?" one asked, she didn't have the energy to tell who. "Do you need anything?" asked the other. "I'm better now, I'm sorry. I just needed a moment to calm down. "She felt the familiar dryness in her mouth, her head still a little dizzy. "What was that?" the question was hesitant, and she recognized that is was Fred who asked. Her sigh could have knocked over the north tower. "I have an anxiety disorder, it…it's mostly social. I've tried to get control of it; I used to take medication every day to help lessen the effects…." She spoke quickly and softly, the skin around her fingers being tugged at by her nails the entire time. Josie regretted not bringing her medication with her to Hogwarts.

Two right hands grabbed both of hers, her eyes tracing up the arms to meet their faces. "We didn't know. We would have gotten you out of there sooner." She smiled, shaking her head. "No…its fine. I probably need to learn to stick up for myself." She went to get up, wincing as she felt pain shoot up her leg. You've got to be kidding me. She must have twisted it or rolled it when she fell. Nice job Josie, ruin the entire day. George noticed her wince, immediately grabbing her elbow to steady her. "Can you walk alright?" he asked, ducking his head to look at her. "I'll be fine." She said, kicking herself for being such a bother today.

She'd only gotten a few feet when she had to stop, tears building in her eyes and her limp making her unbearably slow. Fred caught her arm. "Stop, this is even painful to watch, which means…" he stepped in front of her. "It has to be painful to walk on." She kept her gaze down, teetering a bit on her sore ankle. "I'm carrying you." She looked up so fast she could have given herself whiplash, her eyebrows almost meeting her hairline. "Non, non. You are not. I am not being more of a burden than I already have today, you can't risk my size hurting you before Quidditch season, plus it will look si-""Josie." She stopped when she caught his expression, and realized that he was most certainly not taking no for an answer. "Oui?" "Shut it." "Okay." Looking between Fred and George, the seriousness in their eyes burned into her heart, the expression almost erotic in how abnormal it was for them. "You can either get on my back, or I will carry you like a child." Fred smiled, breaking the tension a bit. She chose his back, her anxiety kicking up as she worried about how much she weighed hurting him at all. But Josie didn't dare argue with them. With George helping because of her bad ankle, Fred lifted her onto his back with what seemed like ease, heading back through town and towards Hogwarts.

They were almost back onto the grounds when she spoke up, her chin resting on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused; I seemed to have ruined your day." She felt Fred's chuckle through his back, his brother turning to walk backwards and look at her. "Rubbish, Flint and those two girls ruined our day; we had a good time with you." George said, smiling widely. Fred nodded in agreement, shifting her on his back as they started uphill, going silent for a few moments. "Oh, and Josie." She made a noise in the back of her throat to show she was listening. "If you ever try and say you weigh too much in front of us again, you'll be waking up to green skin the next morning." George stated, grinning at her. She could only nod.

It was almost a beautiful moment until she heard someone running behind them, passing them quickly and nearly knocking all three of them over. "Good on ya Princess, break his back so it's easier to knock him off his broom!" Flint yelled as he and one of the girls barreled past. "I wouldn't talk about breaking anything Flint, you're lucky you're so thick otherwise you'd be even dumber than the rocks you must have been dropped on for your face to end up like that!" Josie called after him, feeling brave with the twins beside her.

Flint rounded on her but didn't dare say anything as they neared the school, McGonagall standing ahead to count the students as they entered. Pressing her cheek against Fred's shoulder, she reached her hand out to meet George's, Fred bouncing her on his back as he cheered.

She decided that she didn't need medication with the twins around; they were all she needed to keep her at her best.


	9. Knock on Wood

The week after Hogsmead was slow, the excitement of the last weekend causing the students to feel even more bored than usual with their schoolwork. The only thing that kept them from falling face first into the staircase was the knowledge that Halloween was soon coming, and after that the start of the Quidditch season. Well, that and what had been discovered Saturday evening.

The night they returned from Hogsmead, she had been in the hospital wing when Gryffindoor tower had been found broken into by escaped Azkaban prisoner Sirius Black, someone she'd only known about through the paper. She suddenly felt grateful that she spent the night in the hospital wing keeping off her ankle, because she heard from the twins the next morning when they met her at the door to the infirmary that the rest of Gryffindoor house had spent the night on the floor of the Great Hall while the teachers searched the castle.

Josie had been in the hospital wing a number of times since she was first escorted there by Professor McGonagall, still on Fred's back. Her ankle was fine, just a little sprained, nothing that couldn't be fixed quickly, but it still needed to be checked on periodically. She had a limp for most of Sunday morning, but most of that time was spent sitting in the common room with Lee and the twins.

She saw less and less of the twins as they practiced longer hours, but that was all right with her. She had time to finish her schoolwork ahead of time, write letters to her mother and father, and catch up on a book she had wanted to read. She still sat on the hill by the Quidditch pitch, watching them practice while she did work and enjoyed the air.

One evening the Gryffindoor Quidditch team exited the pitch later than even their extended practice time had been. Standing up as the team passed her, she struggled to catch sight of the two gingers, failing to see them. Angelina passed her, nudging her arm with the end of her broom. "They're getting an earful from Wood, they decided it would be a brilliant idea to rough house and nearly knock each other off their brooms." The dark haired girl rolled her eyes, looking back as Wood came jogging up the hill, Fred and George walking a bit behind him. When all three boys caught up with Josie and the rest of their team, the group began heading back up to the castle with Josie a few feet away. She didn't feel too comfortable with all of them. She liked them all just fine, but she thought they were far better than her, their talent putting them higher than herself in her mind. Josie's flying skills were mediocre; the only practice she got was at her Grandparents cottage on summer visits.

The large group of chattering Gryffindoors were halfway to the castle when Wood started his speech, once again talking about how this was his last year and they needed to win house cup; the same thing he said at the end of every other Quidditch practice the twins had told her. "We're the best team Gryffindoor has had in years, there's no way we can be beaten." Wood was saying when Josie tuned in after laughing into her palm at the twins imitating him behind his back. "Knock on wood..." she muttered, adjusting her bag on her shoulder.

She regretted it immediately. Fred and George looked at each other and then back at her quickly, grins breaking out across their faces. "Good idea." They said with a raise of their brow, jogging to catch up with Wood. She realized what they were doing a moment too late. Fred and George had both raised their hands and proceeded to smack Oliver Wood, Gryffindoor Quidditch Captain, in the back of the head yelling "Knock on Wood!" just as she called out to stop them.

Half the team went into a fit of laughter, the other half stood wide eyed in fear of what Wood would do to them. The twins looked extremely proud of themselves, their chest sticking out and their smiles wide. Josie thought she would pass out, covering her mouth as she broke down into sobs of laughter and embarrassment.

Woods face had never been so red than he was in that moment in Josie's memory, but he took a breath, shook his head and looked at them. "Good one. You're lucky I need you first match." His voice was calm but the look he gave them was deadly, and she could tell by the twin's expression that they got the hint to knock it off. The rest of the walk into the castle and up to the common room was quieter than death, the entire team scared stiff by Woods seriousness.

It wasn't until they got back to the common room that the silence was shattered as the team broke off to go up to their dorms. "That was clever Josie." Fred said, nudging her in the side. "What was?" "The idea to hit Wood." Josie rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips and staring him down. "I gave no such idea and you know it Fred Weasley, what I said was an expression." George snorted at her tone, sliding his arm into hers and pulling her towards the winding staircase to the boy's dorms. "We know, but it still gave us the idea." He said as he began pulling her up the first few stairs. She dug in her heels and stood wide eyed, confused.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her tone short and worried. Fred slipped past them, heading up the stairs. "We think we saw a new passage way on the third floor." He said. "We're going to check it out tonight." George added. "We want you to come." "But we wanted to show you something first." They had both stopped and turned to look at her. "And you have to show me it in the boys dormitory?" she questioned. "Yeah, you can look at it while we grab a change of clothes." Her heart thudded in her chest unexpectedly. All she could do was nod and allow them to drag her by the crook of her arm to their dorm. She couldn't argue with them, not when they grinned like that.

The Weasley twin's dorm was shared with Lee Jordan, who was lying across his bed doing his homework when the twins kicked open the door and pulled her inside. "What the hell is she doing here?" Lee asked as she entered, obviously confused. "We'll only be a moment." "Get your knickers out of a twist." The twins said at the same time, George leading Josie to sit on one of the beds as Fred dug around in his things. "Hold that." Fred said, handing her a piece of parchment, closing the curtains in front of her. She stared at the crimson fabric for a moment, still in a state of shock, but that faded after a few seconds of hearing Fred and George rummage around on the other side of the curtain. Sighing, she pulled her legs under her, getting more comfortable as she looked over the parchment that had been shoved into her hands.

What is this? She asked herself, looking at the blank folded paper. This must be a joke. Running her fingers through her hair as she looked around, she tried to guess whose bed she was on, but really couldn't tell the difference between this one and her own. But the thought that she was on either of their beds made her stomach flip. She caught herself running her fingers over the blanket, and jerking her hand back like it was on fire when she realized it. She felt herself getting hot under her sweater, and she yanked it off over her head, loosening her tie and unbuttoning the top of her shirt.

She could hear them talking in hushed tones on the other side of the curtains, Lee obviously arguing about something with George. Peeking through the crack in the fabric where Fred hadn't closed it all the way, she could hear broken words of their conversations and Fred sitting on the other bed listening to them, something about "can't do that", "fragile", "she's new", "feelings", "careful", "bloody rubbish", "never try", and "damage". Josie tried to listen more, leaning forward till her ear pressed against the curtain. Her plan started to work, she could hear George saying something about her clearly…until someone leaned against the bed and made it move.

Josie lost her balance, falling forward before she could register what was happening. She was lucky her impulse was to turn around so she wouldn't hit the ground face first, but that same impulse also caused her to become tangled in the curtains, her leg wrapped in it and held suspended. Her left shoulder blade hit the floor quite hard, surely to bruise tomorrow. When she looked up, everyone was staring at her, their attention probably caught by the very large thud the fall made, and the very high pitched squeaks Josie made. After blowing her tie off her face and pulling her skirt down in a manner far from graceful, she awkwardly grinned. "Bonjour." She said softly, waggling her fingers in a wave.

Lee, Fred and George stared at her for a moment before they all doubled over laughing, Lee almost hitting the floor from his place leaning against one of the four posters of the bed she was just on. Fred took her hand as she untangled her leg from the curtains, pulling her upright and to her feet. She muttered an apology and folded her sweater over her arm, looking around the room before her eyes landed on the elephant in the room. Well, it was an elephant to her at least, and it was attractive and ginger.

George Wesley was leaning against the opposite wall with a shirt in his hand, and it must have been the one he had been planning to wear, because he wasn't wearing one at the moment. Josie immediately turned her back to him, covering her mouth as her cheeks went scarlet, the image of George Weasley without a shirt forever burned into her mind in the best of ways.

She could vaguely hear Lee Jordan choke on his own laughter over the thudding in her ears, trying to stop her mind from replaying the image of one of her first crush's standing mere feet away from her, close enough for her to see the freckles that dusted his light skin and the line of red on his lower-She shut her brain off right then and there, ignoring the fluttering in her stomach, the lump in her throat and the clenching of the muscles in her body.

She needed to write her mother another letter.


	10. Twisting Besides Myself

After the debacle of Josie completely embarrassing herself, and after Lee Jordan had stopped laughing after a solid four minutes, she found herself sitting on Fred Weasley's bed staring at the blank parchment he had handed her earlier, and the twins were staring at her with wide matching grins as she looked at it.

Her heart rate was slowing down and the blush that had broken out across her skin was slowly fading as she tried to shake what had just happened from her mind. "So, what's this?" She asked after clearing her throat, glancing at Lee who was grinning at her from his bed. "That's the reason we're infamous." Fred said, looking quite pleased with himself as he puffed his chest out. "Slow down there friend, or your head will grow bigger than Snape's nose. " Josie said, smiling as she gently hit his head with the paper. "You're not infamous yet, and if you're telling me this piece of blank parchment is what made you so great, then you're nuttier than I thought." George snorted, taking out his wand and smiling at her. "Watch. " He put his wand to the paper. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He said, and the paper was slowly filled with writing. The Marauders Map? How odd. She thought as she read the cover with a quirked eyebrow. "Open it." The two said in unison, watching her intently.

Looking up at them from under her bangs, she laughed softly before opening the parchment and looking it over. She was pleasantly surprised and amazed all at once. "This is Hogwarts, isn't it?" she asked softly, looking down at the few feet that were padding around the map, quickly finding herself , the twins and Lee in Gryffindoor tower, her heart skipping when she saw their names written next to each other. "How long have you had this?" Josie was extremely curious about this map. "Took it from Filch's office first year, had it ever since." Fred said, watching her. "And you can see everything?" She looked at them, her heart swelling with admiration for them. "Everything." George answered. "And everyone." His brother added. "No matter where they are. " "Or what they're doing." "At any moment." "Of any day." "I swear they rehearse this stuff." Lee Jordan muttered, breaking Josie out of the trance she had fallen into staring at them. "I wouldn't be surprised. "She muttered back, smiling as the twins broke into an argument with Lee.

The rest of that night had been spent laughing and joking around in their room, sneaking out of the tower and down into the kitchen for a snack, setting dung bombs off in front of the entrance to Slytherin's common room, and hiding from Filch in a broom closet . The broom closet incident ended up much like the statue incident, with Josie pressed against one of the twins. Well, it was both of them this time. They assumed the closet would be bigger than it actually was, a mistake which caused Josie to be squished between the two boys.

Fred had his ear against the door, trying to see the map in the pale moonlight that was streaming in from the keyhole. Josie's back was pressed firmly against his chest, and George's chest was pressed firmly against hers as he attempted to keep himself from leaning against a wet mop. It was all Josie could do to keep her embarrassment from showing through. She could feel her face breaking out into a blush that would crawl down to her chest, where her heart was hammering above her ever acrobatic stomach. Her brain was working against her in this situation, playing scenes in her head on repeat as the twins planned in hushed tones .

First came the reality. George shirtless in front of her, Fred holding her behind the statue, the three of them squished together on the couch, Josie fallen over one of their laps, things that were most definitely memories that had happened as she lived and breathed. But then Josie was shown images that were not real, fantasies she didn't know she had flickering behind her eyes.

Pushing the images from her head, Josie tried to focus what was happening. George was mouthing something to Fred, his head ducked awkwardly to keep from hitting a shelf and his elbows braced against the wall to keep his backside from touching the mop behind him. He shifted his body to watch the map in Fred's hands, causing Josie to become firmly sandwiched between the two of them, not even enough space for air between their bodies. She could feel herself become squished, and her mind couldn't figure out it that was exciting or utterly embarrassing.

Josie had been in close proximity to both of the twins before, but not this close. Her senses were overwhelmed by them. They smelled of gunpowder, chocolate and fresh cut grass, and looking up at George she could count the freckles across his cheeks but her eyes wandered downward and settled on the center of his chest, suddenly flashing back on seeing him shirtless, her entire body tensing up.

"You alright?" she jumped at Fred's voice in her ear. "Fine. Just peachy. Peachy as cobbler." She answered quickly, looking at him as she picked at her nails enough to make them bleed. "We can go now." He said gently, opening the door and stepping out. Josie quickly followed after him, George closing the door behind them as they took off for Gryffindoor tower, almost tripping though the portrait as they laughed at a wizard yelling at them to quiet down from a painting.

The twins disappeared off to their room to sleep, and Josie through herself across the couch in the common room for a good yell into a pillow as soon as they disappeared. She could still feel their bodies burned into her skin. No wonder they're Beaters. God bless Quidditch. The pillow she slammed over her head cut off her thoughts on the relation between their Quidditch position and the firmness of their physique. Dragging herself up to bed, she pulled out a quill, ink and parchment and set to writing that letter to her mother before she forgot how to explain her feelings.

"Mother,

School continues to go well, Quidditch season is coming up and I believe my house will have a winning streak judging by the practices. Yes, I watch the practices; the twins are on the team, Beaters at that. You should watch Quidditch sometimes mom, I think you would enjoy it.

Speaking of the twins, no I have not figured out which on I am fonder of, and I have not let on that I like them. I think my friends Lee and Angelina have noticed though, and Lee often teases me for it. But I have a problem. The twins and I are growing forever closer, which is landing us in situations where we are…closer. Just the other day one carried me after I hurt my ankle (I am fine), and tonight I saw one of them shirtless and got into close proximity with them while "being wild" as you would say, hiding in a broom closet from an adult when we were out after hours.

They drive me a point I can only describe as insane, excuse my language I know I should not say that. But I go completely blank, can't think, and can't speak. My heart races, my body heats up and my stomach does flips. I don't know if you can understand what I'm saying mother. I notice things that I don't think I should. Like how they smell, gunpowder, chocolate, cut grass and a something that I can only describe as them. Tonight when they were talking I noticed a scar above one's eye, two moles on the others neck, I notice which side they smile more towards. When I saw him shirtless tonight I couldn't breathe. Merlin he's beautiful. Not your type at all, but he's gorgeous. And if he's gorgeous it can be guaranteed that they're both gorgeous. Mother do you know what a Beater does? They pretty much swing these bats and knock these evil, fast, mean balls around the field. You can tell these boys can handle them. I'm just going to let you imagine what that sentence is hinting at. And from being pressed against them in the awkward broom closet situation I can tell that it's completely and utterly…true.

Do you see what they do to me! Here I am talking about them like this, my heart still racing. My mouth went dry when they look at me; my stomach goes back and forth between doing flips and feeling like a knot. They make me nervous, excited, overjoyed and a wreck all at once. I feel things that I don't know how to explain and are really starting to get to me, interfering with my thoughts. This isn't good, I hate it. I hate feeling like a little girl with a crush on some famous person.

The worst part is the more adult side to this. For the first time today I had thoughts of things that would make dad's hair frizz out, stuff like the things in the books you keep in the bottom of the basket in the reading lounge. I don't know what to do about. I'm babbling about boys. I'm sure you're ecstatic and are going to want to sit me down in your bedroom and talk about this for hours while we drink some odd flavored tea.

I love you, can't wait to come home for Christmas.

Josie."

Josie rolled up the parchment and tied it with the silver ribbon her mother had tied the last one with, setting it on top of her bag to be sent back with Georgette in the morning. As she lay in bed, Josie thought of what she had written. Perhaps she had gone a bit overboard with the explanation, knowing her mother would get a kick out of it, she did not lie. The twins frustrated her to no end, they gave her so much happiness and strength but then made her so nervous, gave her feelings she had no clue how to pinpoint.

She fought the thoughts about them, hoping it would die down soon enough and instead thought about Halloween coming up soon. She hoped it would be as sweet as the candy she and the twins had bought in Hogsmead, and that the tricks she knew the twins had planned would distract her from herself. As she drifted off to sleep with her skin still warm from theirs and her stomach tight, she thought of them once again.

Maybe that map of theirs can help me find my way around my own emotions.


	11. Spaced Out On Sensation

Halloween had always been Josie's favorite holiday. Her mother was appalled by the corporate Halloween that had been adopted from America that some people celebrated, but her Father loved the Halloween the wizarding world celebrated. The day of Halloween Hogwarts was filled with excitement, the students glad it was a Sunday so they could just enjoy it.

Lee Jordan welcomed Josie that morning by throwing a chocolate spider at her, which scuttled down her leg and under an armchair. Most of the time before lunch was spent with Fred, George, and Lee, the four of them sitting in a corner of the common room talking about pranks the twins were pulling later on in the day. Fred had wanted to put exploding teabags in the teacher's lounge, but Josie and George agreed that the outcome of that could be mixed, and some teachers didn't need to be covered in hot water today. Josie had the idea to plant a sack of spiders under the rim of the toilet in the girl's bathroom, but the four of them couldn't figure out where to get a sack of spiders at this hour. Josie decided against helping them out by the time they went to lunch, she needed to send that letter to her mother along with the letter she needed to write for the family's tomb when her mother went for Toussaint.

While writing the letter at the table at lunch, George leaned over her shoulder to see her writing in French, working on her second piece of parchment since she got there. "What's that?" he said after swallowing, slipping the paper out from under her hand when she put her quill down. "It's a letter to my deceased family, for my parents to put in our family tomb on Tuesday. " "For what?" Fred said before taking another mouthful of bread. "For Toussaint of course." "Two-sa..what?" Josie had momentarily forgotten where she was and forgot they did not know French customs, but looking at the confused and amused faces of Fred and George Weasley snapped her out of it. "It's a muggle holiday, that's celebrated from October 31st to November 2nd, it's a remembrance of our loved ones that have died." She said quickly, smiling awkwardly and waiting for their reaction. "Dad would have a fit over that." Fred said to George, causing her to raise a brow. "Our dad loves muggle stuff, it's kind of his job." He added after catching her confusion. "Why does your family celebrate a muggle holiday?" George asked. "Cause one or both of her parents are muggle, you git." Fred added, rolling his eyes at his brother.

Josie nodded, picking apart her toast. "I'm half-blooded, my mother is non magic." The twins nodded, shrugging their shoulders and going back to what they were doing. "Can your mum read English?" George asked, looking at the letter for the tomb. "Oui, she's learned because of Dad and I. Dad's first language is English." She picked up the other letter to her mother, the one not containing things about them, and showed him. "See? I usually write in English, for special stuff I write in French." She watched him flick his eyes over the paper, and she suddenly got anxious about her handwriting of all things. It was bubbly and curly, something she got from her mother. "You talk about us?" He asked suddenly, looking at her. Josie's heartbeat picked up quickly, thinking she had given him the wrong letter, before realizing she had told her mother about her friends studying with her and their excitement about Halloween. "Of course I do, you're my best friends." She wished she could catch the words the fell from her mouth, but they were caught by the twins before she could even lift her hand. Fred was at his feet in an instant.

"I am honored madam that you would award such a title to such simple men as we!" George had joined him before she could blink, taking her hand and getting down on one knee. "We shall be forever grateful for such a title, it tis simply too much for low life's such as us!" Josie was turning red, people staring. "If you two don't sit down it'll be raspberry jam down both your shirts." She said quickly, covering her face with her hands. The bench bounced as they both sat next to her, leaning on the table.

"But seriously…" "Oh that's possible?" Josie cut Fred off, earning a chuckle from the both of them. "Yes, and we're glad you count us as your best friends." He finished. "You're one of ours too." George added. A smile twitched on her lips. "Thanks boys…" she looked up from her hands suddenly, getting an idea. "Here, write something." Handing George her quill and setting the letter to her mother in front of him, she watched him write a short message, signing it and then handing the quill to Fred. Fred leaned over her to scrawl, literally, a message and sign it with a flourish before setting the quill down. Josie looked it over before rolling all three letters together. "It'll be a miracle if my mother can read your handwriting Fred."

On her way to the owlery Josie decided to actually try and read what they had written. She only had to try because Fred Weasley's handwriting was in a word, atrocious. Waiting for Georgette to make her way down from the high ceiling, she looked at what they had said.

"Bonjour! I'm your daughter's friend, and I did not copy that greeting from her handwriting at the top of the page! My brother and I will make sure to get her into loads of trouble, but we won't get her expelled. Promise. I'd say more but George already has it covered. –Fred Weasley"

She smiled at his scrawl, rolling her eyes a bit at his obvious attempt to be above his brother. Her mother was sure to get a kick out of that, Fred was probably the one she'd like more. He had the ego her father did. Next she glanced down at George's writing, finding it a bit longer than his brothers.

"Hello there! This is George, one of Josie's friends. She's letting us write on her letter. Despite what your daughter may say, she is doing fine here and has met friends that will not let harm come to her…well, at least not from anyone but us, and we aren't too hard on her. She's bloody brilliant and a good friend, you should be proud of her. –George Weasley"

Josie smiled at his words, her heart thudding in her chest. Realizing she took the fact that they were more than just devious for granted, she swore they were getting presents next Hogsmead visit. The twins had a lot more to them then she originally thought. They were actually extremely smart, brilliant beaters, loving older brothers, kind hearted, and so many other things that she couldn't think to list. Josie didn't think most people realized what they were capable of, she felt terrible herself for not seeing it earlier. Fred and George Weasley were two of the most amazing people she had ever met.

Halloween had never been a more enchanting time for her, the castle was buzzing with excitement. Before dinner the twins had completed 13 pranks and not gotten caught once, even though three of them were on Percy and four were on Filch. Percy was looking very sour, his hair curling widely as it faded from bright purple back to its ginger color when she sat down between Fred and George, her hair bouncing as she nudged the twins with a grin. "I can see one of your efforts went well." She said as she fixed the orange and black bow that she had place in her hair. She could feel Percy eyeing it disapprovingly. "Oh yeah, went splendidly." Fred chuckled, waving at his brother.

The rest of the night went smoothly, Josie quickly becoming excited from all the food and sweets, her and the twins ending up in their dorm listening to music with Lee. Their beds were covered in candy, along with some of their outer clothing. Josie was down to her button up, skirt and tights, the boys just in their pants and shirts. Fred and Lee were loudly singing along to a song on the radio, while George and Josie sat on Fred's bed trying Berti Botts Every Flavored Beans. As she choked on a cinnamon flavored bean as Lee's voice cracked on a high note, she could not have been happier. She was completely at ease until Fred Weasley grabbed her hand and dragged her to her feet, her heart thudding widely as he spun her around to the music, her hands in his.

Fred bounced onto the bed next to her as the song ended, grabbing a chocolate frog and popping it into his mouth as he leaned against the bed poster. "How did your Halloween go Josie?" Lee asked, sprawling across his bed with his hands behind his head. "It went well, I put spider legs in all the beds in one of the girl's dormitories and slipped a howler into a Slytherin girl's bag disguised as a love letter. " She said softly, not too proud of her weak attempts at pranks but deciding to tell them anyway. George smiled, chewing on an éclair flavored bean as he clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Not bad." "Not bad at all." Fred added, tossing the wrapper to his frog on the ground with the rest of the wrappers.

Josie snorted when she looked at him. "Thanks. You've got chocolate on your face." She said as she gestured to his chin. He tried to wipe it with his sleeve, but missed several times despite her instruction. "Merlin, come here." She sat on her knees, batting his hand away gently and wiping the smear off with her thumb. Time seemed to slow down for Josie as she looked at him, his eyebrow raised at her as he grinned. Glancing at Lee as she retracted her hand, she was met with a grin and a wink, and she realized how red she was turning. "I should go to bed." She muttered, scrambling to get her stuff and heading for the door. She turned back as she closed it behind her, catching the twins look at each other then back at her, smiles forming as the door closed.

The next morning on the way to breakfast she tried to avoid them as much as possible, going down early and grabbing her food before the twins could show up and eating her toast as she went to the bathroom to wash up before class. Josie didn't like washing when other people may be there, she preferred to be alone. But it was hard when the bathrooms were shared with the rest of the girls in her house, so she picked times when she knew people wouldn't really be in there. Like the middle of the day or when people were at meals. Josie didn't mind that it meant she had to walk up and down stairs more than needed.

As Josie was drying her face she heard the door close behind her, and she looked out of instinct. A seventh year girl with bloodshot eyes and braided hair slammed her hand against the door, letting out a loud yell of frustration. Josie supposed something upsetting had happened to the girl, and decided to be as quiet as possible so she could sneak out and leave her be. But she was too late; the girl looked up and spotted her, sighing rather loudly and rudely. "Oh great, of course the weird ones are in here at this time of day." She said, her voice a bit nasally. "I'm sorry, I was just leaving. " Josie replied, ducking her head and picking up her things. She was slipping her sweater back on when she heard the girl laugh, making her flinch. "You're the girl those Weasley twins are always around. God, why can a fat girl get boys to like her but not me?" The girl said, pushing past her and slamming a stall shut as she disappeared into it.

Josie's stomach churned as she walked out of the tower, heading down to her first class, glad that she sat behind the twins so they wouldn't have to see her upset. She hoped the Quidditch game that weekend would cheer her up.


	12. As The Rain Comes

The week grew cold and damp as the match neared, and it was obvious the first Quidditch map was taking its toll on the team. Oliver Wood looked like he was in the middle of a stroke every time she saw him, and the twins weren't in their usual mood from his badgering. They were extremely frustrated when three of the girls on the team had swooned over Cedric Diggory when Wood had broken the news that they weren't playing Slytherin, they were playing Hufflepuff. When the twins caught up with her after practice their egos were obviously bruised. "What's so great about Diggory? What makes girls like Angelina bat their eyelashes and twirl their hair over a guy like that?" George was saying to his brother when she fell in step next to them. "He's absolutely thick." Fred agreed, running his hands through his hair. "Who are we talking about?" Josie asked, wrapping her cloak tighter around her as the wind chilled her. "Cedric Diggory." Fred said with distaste. "Oh him, I know who that is." She said softly, looking at them. "Of course you do!" George said, exasperated. "What? I just know his name, the girls in my room talk about him, and I see him in the hallway and at meals." The twins groaned in unison. "Do you think he's good looking?" they asked.

She stopped, looking between them. "No. I don't. I don't think he's attractive at all." They looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You don't?" the question was in unison. "No I don't, he's not my type." She started walking again, not liking where this conversation was going. "Why's that?" George asked, jogging up next to her. "Are you really asking me that? First you hate that people find him attractive then you are surprised I don't." The two of them looked at her, smiling in the way that made Josie do whatever they wanted. She sighed."Well for one I don't know him that well, he's always so quiet, doesn't show much emotion from what I can tell. He's boring really." "Not one for the "strong and silent" types huh?" Fred asked, putting quotes around his words and linking his arm with hers, George doing the same on the other side as she shook her head. "No, not my type at all." "Then what is?" They said together.

"I don't think that's something we should talk about." She answered. They stared at her silently for a few moments as they entered the school. Josie sighed. "I like people who are talkative, intelligent, caring, exciting. What's the point in liking someone if they aren't going to make your life worth living?" she stated simply, letting go of them as they headed up the stairs. They were silent for the rest of the way, until they stepped through the portrait.

"So you don't think Diggory is the most attractive boy you're ever seen?" Fred asked. She laughed a bit, turning to look at them at the entrance to the girl's dormitory. "Boys, in my opinion you two are the most attractive boys I've ever seen." She ran up the stairs after that, her cheeks red, her heart thudding, but she was very proud that she had been brave enough to say that.

The day of the Quidditch match was dreadful, the sky dark and storm clouds violently rolling in, pelting the grounds with rain. She waited for the twins in the common room until the twins appeared, many of the rest of the team and Lee Jordan behind them. She followed them down to the great hall, linking her arms with the twins because of her nervousness. She'd never really watched Quidditch, but the idea of it being done in weather like this made her uncomfortable. Josie knew the team could do it, but it still made anxiety twist inside her.

She sat next to the twins, on the edges of the team as they ate breakfast. Wood did nothing but worry himself sick, he didn't touch any food. She could see Alicia, her roommate, trying to sooth him as Josie turned herself on the bench to straddle it so she could face the twins. "How are you doing boys?" she asked softly, fighting her urge to grab their hands. She was worried, not as worried as Wood, but worried. "We're alright." "Quidditch has been played in worse conditions." Fred and George answered, but she wasn't convinced.

By the time they needed to head down to the pitch, Josie was thoroughly bundled up and was a nervous wreck. The first Quidditch match she'd ever watched and it were in these conditions. Tugging her sweater down more, the bottoms of her jeans already drenched from standing near an open doorway, she looked at the twins as students ran past them. "You two be careful, and kick ass." She said as she zipped up her jacket. "Oh we will." George said, his hands shoved in his pockets, the cold air blowing past them. "You can count on it." Fred added. Josie looked at the weather then back at them, forgetting herself and pulling them into a tight hug, and arm around each of their necks. The twins stumbled a bit at her suddenness, but wrapped an arm each around her and held her tight, causing a dark blush to appear across her cheeks.

"You worry more than our mother." Fred chuckled as the three of them let go, George making a face at the group of students who were laughing and commenting on their embrace. "With you two around, I think your mother and I have reason to worry." Josie smiled, patting his cheek and waving as she headed down with the rest of the students so she could get a good seat.

Josie had never been so soaked in her entire life. She swore she had never been this wet even when she bathed. The rain had eaten away at her coat, slipping into the spaces and soaking her sweater underneath. Her feet were freezing in her boots, and she was sure she looked like a drowned rat. Which was probably the reason no-one was offering to let her stand by them. Lee Jordan was announcing, and the rest of her close friends were on the team. As she leaned against the wooden wall by the stairs up to the stands, she was at an impasse. Either stand by a stranger or stand all alone where she can't see well and miss her friend's first Quidditch match of the year. But who would want to sit next to a drowned rat?

As she was starting to head for the top seats, she saw someone waving at her, smiling through the rain. Bijou Lemay, the girl she had sat next to first night and had helped her find the Transfiguration classroom, was bouncing next to a very tall boy, trying to catch her attention. Josie headed over to her, slipping in between her and another 3rd year. "Thank you so much." She said softly, smiling at the girl, who's light hair was hidden under a hat. Bijou nodded, pressing herself closer to the boy Josie recognized as Neville Longbottom.

Looking down from her spot, she realized how high up she was, but was thankful for her position. She hoped she would be able to watch Fred and George in this weather. She stood on her toes as she watched the scarlet team splash onto the field, catching sigh of quickly soaked ginger hair and smiling a little as she watched Oliver stiffly shake hands with the Hufflepuff team captain, and as they took off from the ground at the whistle. Squinting through the rain, she lost sight of the twins in an instant, and started to worry that something may go wrong. A feeling of dread pooled in her stomach as her mind raced. What if they don't see a bludger to block it? What if they get knocked to the ground? What if they run into another player? Or a stand? Or fly out of the field and get lost? Josie's heart raced, her hands raised to keep rain out of her eyes as she tried to spot them, or spot anything for that matter.

She almost gave up looking for them until a bludger came roaring towards their section, and one of the Weasley twins flew over the crowd and sent it back towards the field before it could make it to them, the sound of his bat hitting the metal ball sounding like far away thunder through the rain. Josie smiled widely, clapping as the twin saluted with his bat and took off again, their scarlet robes soaked with rain.

It seemed like a few minutes later that lighting flashed and the team descended to the field, Josie leaned over the side to watch the team huddle under an umbrella to talk. The crowd murmured a bit, almost too quiet to be heard through the pounding rain. She watched as the frizzy haired girl that often hung around Ron Weasley and the Gryffindors Seeker, the famous Harry Potter, ran onto the field and into the huddle of the team. Moments later the team had taken off again, back into the air as rain seemed to come down harder than ever, thunder rumbling along with the applause and cheers of the students. Lightening flashed every few seconds it seemed, causing Josie's heart to jump with each streak as she began to worry again that someone may be hit.

What couldn't have been more than 10 minutes later, Josie suddenly felt cold, colder than she had before from the wind and rain. She felt people surge forward behind her, pushing her against the handrail as everyone tried to see something on the field through the rain. It was dead quiet, the teams above still zipping through the air above them. But no-one even noticed, all they could focus on were the dark shapes moving on the field.

The silence was broken by people screaming, and Josie looked up just as Harry Potter slipped off his broom and fell towards the ground. The entire world was in slow motion as the Gryffindor team all slowed to a stop, and Professor Dumbledoor ran onto the field, bright light shooting from his wand as the dark creatures fled. Josie turned her head and closed her eyes tight as Harry neared the ground.

The gasps and cheers around her made her open her eyes, looking down again to see Harry on a stretcher and being taken off the field, both teams huddled around Madam Hooch as one of the Hufflepuff members was speaking, clutching the snitch in his hand. McGonagall was standing at the exit off the stands, telling all students to stay put until further notice, only allowing Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley to exit. Josie watched as the teams exited the field, barley able to tell any of them apart through the rain. She hoped Harry was alright.

An hour or so later, she was pacing in front of the entrance to the hospital wing, listening to the voices coming from inside. They team, minus Wood who had stayed in the showers at the Quidditch pitch, had been in there for a while now, and Josie was getting antsy because she couldn't go in. She hadn't been allowed to even leave the stands until Harry was inside the school, and by then the twins and the rest of the time was halfway to the castle. Josie began picking at the skin around her nails again, her lip swollen from her chewing on it.

A while later the team exited the room, filing out of the doors and heading to wash off. Every single one of them was soaked to the bone and covered in mud. Fred and George stepped aside from the team when they spotted her, their light hearted air a little heavier than usual. "How is he?" Josie asked, releasing her lip from between her teeth. "He's awake, he'll be fine." George said, looking at her and scowling at her swollen lip. "You've got to stop doing that so much." His voice was softer as he reached his hand out, his thumb running over her irritated bottom lip. She felt warmth return to her body as her heart pumped blood more violently than normal. "I'll keep that in mind." She answered, turning to walk away from the doorway and towards the stairs.

"How are you two?" She turned to look at them behind her when they were halfway down the staircase, her heart fluttering at their wet hair and dirty appearance. It was oddly attractive. "Just fine, a little pissed we lost, but we can still catch up and win the cup." Fred replied, falling in step beside her. "I know you and the rest of the team can do it." She smiled, looking at him. "But you might want to go get Wood out of the showers before he drowns himself."


	13. Affliction Of The Feeling

Josie slept in Sunday morning along with the other girls in her dorm, waking up near eleven. After dragging herself out of bed, she dressed comfortably and went to do homework in the common room while she waited for the twins. Lee Jordan joined her about half an hour later, a brown fluffy cat with sea green eyes trailing behind him and rubbing against his legs as he sat across from her.

"It's not mine, don't know where it came from, but it seems to like me." He was saying as she finished up her assignment for Ancient Runes. The cat climbed into his lap and curled up into a ball, leaving the three of them in silence until Fred and George came in with the rest of the team, the two of them jumping over the back of the couch on either side of her. "How's Harry today?" Lee asked, scratching the cat behind the ears. "Fine, should be out tonight." George said, his brother joining him in an odd look towards the cat. "Whose is that?" they said in unison. Lee shrugged, an action that the twins echoed as they settled in.

"So what's in store for today?" Josie asked as she put away her parchment, looking between the twins. "We suppose we'd test some products, hoped you'd-""No" Josie interrupted, crossing her legs and pulling her sweater dress over her knee. "Why not?" Fred asked, putting on his best pout. "We won't hurt you, promise!" George added. "Because with you two I'll end up going to lunch with bright pink hair, a pig snout and boils." She said, stiffening a bit when the two of them laid their arms along the couch behind her. "It's not anything like that" "They're perfectly harmless." "Anything physical will wear off in minutes." "We promise." They said back and forth, Fred playing with the hair flipping out from the back of her head while George played with the sleeve of her dress, his skin contrasting against the dark blue color. Josie couldn't do anything but stare at them, completely stunned and flustered.

"Shouldn't have told them they're attractive, they've gotten a big head and will be using it against you." Lee said, leaning back in his chair as the cat stretched up his chest. "They told you that?" Josie exclaimed, pulled from her shock. "Oh yeah, wouldn't shut up about it for days." George threw one of Josie's discarded drafts at him for a reason unknown to Josie; she was still stuck on the fact that her statement had inflated their egos. They probably heard stuff like that all the time.

"Never mind that, c'mon Josie we need a girl to test this stuff on." Fred said. "Chemistry differences and stuff." George added. "And you're our first choice." Fred had leaned closer to her, his breath hitting her ear. "If anything happens, you can blame us…" "Never see us again..." "And you'll get a bag of candy for every time you swear at us if you get angry." She laughed, the joke relaxing her, and leaned back against the seat and into Fred's hand. A shiver ran down her spine as his fingers met the back of her neck, his arm stiffening against her shoulder. Lee Jordan hid his laughter at the red that was adorning her cheeks as she muttered a "Fine".

The twins grabbed both of her hands and whisked her up to their dorm before she could blink, leaving Lee Jordan and his cat in front of the fireplace. She almost tripped going up the stairs to the boy's dormitory, catching herself on Fred's arm as they chuckled at her.

She sat on Fred's bed, lifting her feet when they pulled a trunk out from under his bed and set it beside her. The twins went to digging through the assortment of odd vials before pulling three containers and setting them beside her. She didn't like the look of this. George sat next to her, opening a bottle with a pop and handing it to her. "What this going to do?" She asked, eyeing the green substance through the glass. "Turn your hair green." "Just for a moment." "If you don't drink it all.". She shrugged her shoulders and took a sip, the liquid thick as it stung her throat. The twins watched her for a moment, grins slowly breaking out on their faces, and Josie tugged at a strand of her hair, which was now bright lime green. "Well that's different." She muttered, laughing a bit as George ran his fingers through her hair with a chuckle. "Looks good on you." Josie rolled her eyes, nudging him with her elbow. "Maybe I should put some in your drink at supper so it's easier to tell you two apart." She joked. "Wouldn't last very long now would it?" Fred commented as her hair went back to its natural light brown, fading from the roots to the tips.

Something that looked like a toffee was placed into her hands, light pink and polka dotted. "That will make you lose your voice." "Temporarily." "For a minute or two." "If you only eat half." Josie looked at them, worry in her eyes. But she's trusted them so far with no repercussions, so she tore it in half and popped it into her mouth, handing the other half back to them with a hiccup. "So?" Fred asked as he wrapped the other piece back up and leaned forward to look at her.

Josie opened her mouth to speak but her voice box had seemed to stop working, her eyes widening when she could say nothing. "Try again!" George asked excitedly, as he took her face in his hand so she would face him. He could probably feel her face heat up in his hand as she tried to speak again, sound stopping in her throat. The twins high fived each other behind her head as Fred handed her another vial.

The liquid in the bottle seemed light as air, dark rose pink and bubbling. Giving them a questioning look, she sniffed the potion before swirling it with a raise of her brow. "Just drink it." George said, grinning. The look Josie must have given them must have been hysterical, because both of the twins fell into a fit of laughter at it. Her face turned redder as she crossed her arms, a scowl forming on her lips. Their laughter died down and the two of them wrapped an arm around her waist, her stomach fluttering.

"It's not going to do anything." "It doesn't even alter your body or its functions." The said in turn, smiling at her. Her throat allowed a sigh out, the tension fading from her voice box. Her cheeks burned with their stare as they watched her take a sip out of the very small vial, downing half of it.

Nothing. Josie didn't see or feel a change on her. Turning her head both ways to look at them, her apology for its failure was stopped by her heart jumping in her chest as she met their eyes, as it usually did. The room became hazy around them, her eyes only being able to focus on the two of them. It wasn't until they both leaned in to touch their lips to her cheeks after a minute of silence that she felt the change.

In seconds she went from feeling like she always did around them, flustered, to having every sense heightened, every feelings she'd ever felt around them tumbling into her all at once. The only thing that seemed to work right in the moment was her voice, the last product wearing off.

"What was that?" she asked; her voice soft and wavering. She could barely hear their response over her heart beat, their unified voice muffled. "Is it working?" They leaned closer to her, their fingers pressing into the dip of her waist as their chests brushed her arms. Fire ignited through her body, her skin turning red underneath her collar. Josie didn't know how badly she was blushing, but she knew it was enough for them to notice for once, the signature grin they always wore when they were proud gracing their features.

She wanted to smack them and kiss them all at once, as long as she got some sort of contact and emotional release out of it. Instead she jumped to her feet, her legs shaking as she turned to look at them. "I've just remembered, I've got somewhere to be." Her exclamation was a little louder than it needed to be, her voice cracking, but she felt completely out of control at that moment. Everything that was happening inside her body was like every instance where the twins had made her flustered, embarrassed, dazed, aroused, or excited all happening again, all at once.

Dashing down the stairs, she turned sharply at the landing and ran to her dorm, tripping more than once before she reached her room. Her body felt warm, too warm. She threw open a window, cold air blowing past her as she ripped her sweater dress off and threw herself on her bed,. She did something she had never done before, something she had never thought she would ever do. She screamed into her pillow. The noise she made was one of pure emotion, the vibration of her voice shaking out the tightness in her stomach.

Lying on the bed in her bra and tights, Josie didn't move until the effects of what the twins had given her wore away, her heightened state of emotion fading to the natural spark that stayed burning in her chest for them. She didn't know whether to be mad or embarrassed, she didn't even know what had happened to her. She only knew three things, the first was that she was going to get them back for that. The second was that those feelings were not new; she had felt them before just not in that concentration. The third was that she wanted those two boys to make her feel that way again, without a potion next time.

As she thought, she heard the tiny pad of feet come into the room, the cat that had been following Lee Jordan jumping onto the bed next to her with a note in its mouth. Josie opened the note as the cat left again, and was met with Lee's scratched handwriting.

"Guess it's not a good idea to test a love potion on someone already in love, huh?"


	14. An Itch To Scratch

The next few days were boring, mostly because Josie was hiding from the twins the best she could. Monday she left breakfast as soon as she received her mail, a large package dropped in front of her by her father's owl, Georgette trailing behind it with her letters. As she left the great hall, she peeked around the corner to see the twins and Lee Jordan coming down the stairs. Her heart stopped instantly, her eyes locked on them as they laughed and joked, tossing a small ball of fireworks back and forth between them over the heads of other students.

Forcing herself to stop staring at them, she held the box tighter to her chest and ducked behind a group of chattering Hufflepuffs, sneaking past the twins and heading up the stairs to her dorm. She felt bad for avoiding them, but she was just too embarrassed to see them right now. Her stomach was still in knots from last night, she had hardly slept, and when she did sleep she was greeted by very frustrating dreams.

Lee locked eyes with her as he turned around to walk backwards, and she quickly shook her head to keep him from pointing her out. Josie knew that Lee was aware of her feelings, an awareness made obvious by the note he had sent her. Through it may have been a little overboard. She liked them for sure, but she wasn't so sure about love. That was a very big thing, something so big she doubted she could feel it for anyone, let alone two people. She escaped up to the tower after watching their ginger hair disappear into the great hall, the lump in her throat softening.

The package she had gotten was tied with silver and red ribbon, a sign her parents had sent it. She decided to open the letters first, in case the package needed instruction. Her mother's was on top, Josie opening the seal and unrolling the parchment.

"Mon cher!

You're growing up so fast honey. Maybe we should have sent you there sooner! I

Darling, you are more attracted to them then I had imagined. Soon enough you'll be pulling them into closets and under mistletoe. You do really seem to be interested in these two; I think you should go for them. Both if you want to! I think you like them both enough and if they're okay with that then there is no reason for you three not get along together! It could make things interesting.

Anyway, enough with that. Honey, it's obvious that they do very strong things to you. It seems like you want them to do things a little further than just holding hands or kissing. And that's okay! Your body is yours, and your heart is yours, and you can do with both of them as you may as long as you know that it is what you want, and that it is safe. I don't want my little girl getting her heart broken or doing something that makes her feel regretful or guilty for the rest of her life. That being said, they seem like lovely boys, not my type like you said, but certainly like people you'd get along with well. Reading what they wrote, I can tell they do care about you honey, to what extent I do not know. I don't know how to answer all your questions, I'm not sure what all to say. We covered so much of this stuff when you turned thirteen. All I can think to say is that you need to do what you feel is absolutely best for you, you have shown your father and I that you can make choices to better yourself. You made one when you changed schools, and it seems to have gone well. All I can do is keep you informed on how to do whatever it is you may want to do with them safely, and help you ease the tension a little bit. You may be frustrated for it, but I'm your mother and I'm supposed to help you. I know my extroversion and flirtatiousness did not pass down to you, neither did your fathers, so we embarrass you at times. But you did get his big heart, my romantic spirit, his stubbornness, and my ambition. We love you darling, see you at Christmas.

Enjoy the new clothes! And also there's a letter to the boys, don't read it dear that's not polite. Your father misses you greatly and can't wait to have you around again.

Amour,

Votre mère "

Josie sighed, smiling a bit at her mother. She got excited far too easily, and was very right on the embarrassing part. But she was grateful to see that her mother has seemed to calm down on Josie being prim and proper since she changed schools, but her mother being that way probably came heavily from her grandmother, who was very set in her ways of women having to look pretty, keep up with trends and focusing on outward appearance. When Josie's grandmother had learned about magic, her first questions were if there were spells for beauty and cleaning house, and said that Josie had to learn all those spells. Josie and her grandmother did not get along well.

The box she had received from her father's owl, Lancelot, was magically packed with new clothing for her to wear. She guessed her father was excited she was sorted into a house like Gryffindor; it seemed like the house her father would have been sorted into if he had attended Hogwarts. She unloaded the clothes from the box, two pairs of shoes, three sweaters, a winter coat, a scarf, a dress, a pair of trousers, a beret, and some socks, all in the colors red, black or gold. Josie shook her head at how excitable her father was. There was a reason her parents were together. She quickly went to write him a thank you note to send with Georgette later on in the day, then went to slide the box under her bead when she noticed another small box at the bottom.

Josie picked it up and kicked the package under her bed, opening the small box as she sat on the blankets. Inside of it was a rather large ring in her opinion. It was wide enough to cover from knuckle to knuckle, the band a swirl of greys and light blues and a large silver stone with carved ridges set into it. It was the oddest ring Josie had ever seen, and she had a very odd feeling about it. But, she decided to wear it anyway.

Josie managed to miss the twins the entire rest of the day, sneaking in and out of classes and meals, staying in her room in her spare time. It was late that night when her roommate sat on the bed that she had to confront her emotions. Marina Moreno was a very loud and energetic girl, a mezzo-soprano for the Hogwarts choir. The girl's fluffy hair bounced, as she sat on her bed and turned to Josie, her sea green eyes glistening.

"Why are you avoiding the Weasley twins?" she asked rather loudly, causing Alicia to turn over in her sleep. Josie turned a bit red, but motioned for her to be quiet. "I'm not." "Yes you are. You're always around them and haven't been all day. You're avoiding them." Josie sighed; closing the book she had been reading and looking at the girl. "I'm just busy." "No-one's too busy for their object of affection." Marina said with a smile. Josie promptly shut the curtains to her bed and gave the girl a look that could kill. "How do you know that?" She exclaimed in a hushed voice, her cheeks turning redder. "I just do. Now what's wrong?"

Marina had been exceedingly nice to Josie since she got there, and was the least threatening person she knew. Even though she was loud, Josie felt like she could trust her. "…They gave me a love potion last night, and I reacted embarrassingly. I'm avoiding them for now until I get my nerve back." She mumbled, pulling her blankets around her. "They may be flirting you know. But even if they're not, I know they don't mean any harm. And they'll probably be hurt that you're avoiding them. "Marina said, stretching a bit. "They aren't flirting. They wouldn't flirt with me. And I know…I just need a little time to regain my confidence." "Why not get them back for it?" "Pardon?" Marina laughed a bit, standing up. "Get them back. Play a prank on them. It can be something for you to get your nerve, or it can be you flirting back." She stepped through the curtains, perhaps going back to her bed.

Josie sat on her bed in silence for a long while, chewing on her lip and staring at the crimson curtain. Or both.

She couldn't ignore them any longer once Transfiguration came around. They weren't going to let her. As soon as she sat down in her seat next to them, there was a note in her lap as Professor McGonagall started talking. Opening the note without looking at them, she was glad to find that it was George's handwriting.

"Are you alright? We didn't see you yesterday; Lee said you weren't feeling well, Alicia said she hardly saw you either. We were a little worried, we're sorry if we made you sick or anything, we thought we had all the kinks worked out."

She smiled a little and wrote them back quickly, the ring her parents had given her glinting on her finger. She noticed the band was now a very pale pink as she passed the note into Fred's waiting hand. Her note back told them she was fine, that she'd just been having issues with her anxiety and needed to be alone for a bit.

She got one back a minute later; Fred's finger's brushing against hers longer than needed as he handed it to her. Josie looked up to catch him looking at her, and she quickly took it from him and opened it.

"Good. Are you going to come watch practice? We convinced Wood you're a good luck charm and he'll let you sit in the stands or on the field. I guess us telling him you didn't know anything about Quidditch until you met us helped as well."

She giggles softly and slipped the paper under her book as McGonagall strode past them to retrieve something from the back of the room, only pulling it out again when she returned to her lecture. As she pulled it out by the bottom corner, a flower sprouted from a line above her finger, unfurling its petals and blooming before her eyes. She blushed, smile tugging at her lips. McGonagall started to give them homework, so she put the note away to write down the assignment.

Just before class ended, Josie got an idea. She scribbled down a quick note, drawing a heart in the corner, pulled her wand out of her robe pocket as unnoticeably as possible, aimed it in the direction of the twin's feet, and a spell was silently cast just as the bell for class chimed and everyone packed up their things. Josie quickly packed her stuff and laid the note on their desk, smiling slyly at them and heading for the door.

"Sure, see you at lunch, if you can make it."

Peeking at them from the doorframe, she watched them read the note, stand up quickly, and nearly fall face first onto the desk when they couldn't move their feet. Josie was gone down the hallway the instant they turned their heads toward the doorway. It wasn't a magnificent prank, but it made her less nervous.

It was almost the end of lunch break when Fred and George appeared, looking rather unamused when they spotted her reading at the table with a sucker in her mouth. The two of them tossed their books onto the table on either side of her, and faced her. "At least I didn't stick you to Snape's floor." Josie said through her sucker, not looking up from her book. "At least we didn't rat you out." Fred said back. "Now we're even for you two testing that potion out on me without telling me what it was. You do that again and it will be Snape's floor." The boys chuckled, George wrapping an arm around her waist, taking the sucker from between her lips and popping it into his own mouth. "Was it really that bad? It didn't make you sick did it?" Fred asked, grabbing her book from her hands and closing it. "Just made me dizzy and tired is all." She replied before handing him the note her mother had written them.

She had wanted to read it, she had really wanted to read it, but she doubted her mother would tell them Josie was attracted to them, so she didn't. She didn't have anything to worry about... she hoped. Watching Fred rip open the envelope and duck behind her to read it with George, she began to become aware of them touching her again. George's fingers were pressed into her ribs, his thumb slowly rubbing the skin under the band of her bra though her clothing. Fred had his arm on the table, closing her in between the two of them, his leg pressed fully against hers. Her fingers started to drum along with her racing heartbeat against the table, and the band of the ring returning to the pale pink it was during class.

George took the letter and placed it in his pocket, the bell for next class chiming and the three of them heading to Herbology, Fred and George bewitching fallen leaves to stick to the back of student's cloaks the entire way there.

That night at Quidditch practice she sat on the field next to the door to the locker room, writing out her paper for Ghoul Studies on Thursday. She was almost finished when she looked up to catch the twins flying loops around each other, thoroughly pissing Wood off. Their laughter fell from the air onto her, warming her from head to toe and causing her stomach to flutter. When Wood called for break a few minutes later, Josie had finished her assignment and was fiddling with the ring when Fred and George landed in the stands on either side of her, setting their broomsticks on the stand in front of her.

"How are you?" They asked in unison. She smiled, sitting up straight and pulling her robes tighter around her. "Fine, just enjoying watching. You two seem to be enjoying yourselves." Josie said. She was shivering a little bit, but tried not to let it show. It was definitely colder up here than on the grounds. They must have noticed, because Fred slipped his arms into his uniform and pulled his sweater out from under it, laying it around her shoulders before ruffling her hair and taking off again when Wood called. George winked at her and followed his brother, leaving Josie there flushed and confused as she pulled the sweater around her, their smell surrounding her.

Later that night after they had laid around the common room for a few hours, talking about ideas for new products the twins could make and getting Josie to agree to write their History of Magic papers, the twins and Lee headed up to bed, Josie promising she'd go as soon as she finished cleaning up a little. Picking up her books, she discovered that Lee had left his book, the one he needed for a paper he had due tomorrow before lunch. Sighing and pulling her bag over her shoulder, she quietly padded up to their room, knocking softly twice. "Yeah, come in!" She heard Lee yell from the other side, Josie opening the door and stepping into the room as she spoke. "Lee you left your b-"Her voice caught in her throat when she looked up and saw what was happening before her.

Fred and George Weasley were both standing in the middle of the room, in nothing but pajama pants. George was in the middle of putting a shirt on, but had obviously stopped when he heard her voice. "Hello Josie." The two of them said in unison, Fred grinning at her as he crossed his arms over his chest.

After a moment of stuttering, Josie completely forgot herself, dropping the book to the floor with a thud. She turned, taking off for the girl's dormitory before her cheeks caught fire, barely hearing the twins call after her, "Goodnight Josie!" "Sweet dreams!" in turn. When she reached her room, she threw herself to her bed for the second time this week, her heart beating loudly as every nerve tensed and tingled. She ripped her uniform off, tugging on a night dress and burying herself under her sheets.

But she couldn't sleep at all. Josie was too tense, a ball of fire and energy, and she hated it. She hated the not sleeping, the biting her tongue, the hiding her flustered state, the loving being around them but hating having no release from the feelings they gave her. She hated most of all the idea that she was just lusting after them, not really feeling true affection for them at all. It wouldn't be something she would do in reality, but her subconscious constantly badgered her about it. Josie knew that she wouldn't be able to address her feelings as long as she was plagued by the physical reactions they gave her.

"If only there was a way to calm all this down…" she muttered to herself as moonlight streamed through a crack in the curtain. And then the ring on her finger, whose band was now a swirling dark red, began to vibrate.

She was going to kill her mother.


	15. Blinding Light

Staring at the ring that she had ripped from her finger, Josie didn't know what to do. She certainly wasn't going to use it, and especially not tonight. She tossed the ring into her school bag, waiting for it to stop buzzing. It was at least thirty minutes before it did, and by then Josie was furiously writing a letter back to her mother to send in the morning. It was hours until she got any sleep, her mind plagued with thoughts and fantasies.

The next morning she lay in bed until all of her dorm mates had left, staring out the window and trying to sift through her thoughts. The dark sky made her sleepy, the clouds passing by putting her into a daze and sending her spiraling into a day dream. She dreamed of the twins, their skin pressed against hers, hands gripping her waist and their breathing matched in rhythm, leaning into each other as hands began to travel…Josie came back into reality suddenly, jumping off her bed a bit and looking around the room. Once again she was a mess of nerves, her muscles twitching and her heart pounding.

She couldn't stand it anymore. Yanking open her school bag, grabbing the ring out of it and rolling it between her fingers as the band went crimson and the ring started vibrating again. Ripping her sleep pants off and yanking the curtains around her bed, Josie finally gave into her urges for the twins and got rid of her frustration as quietly as she could.

As the rest of the month came and went, Josie's affliction only got worse. The twins stuck to her like glue, barely ever leaving her side. She was confused as to why they suddenly got even more attached to her, but she enjoyed in none the less. They also appeared to be a lot more flirtatious than usual, but that may have been because they were around her more.

During the longer practice hours in the every dropping temperature, the twins had taken to lending her their outerwear while she sat and watched them practice, even though she had a winter coat. The new oddity did not end there though. They had kissed her on the cheek when she handed them the papers she had written for them, had picked her up and spun her around in the stands when Ravenclaw completely destroyed Hufflepuff in their match, playfully teased her more often, and all around just became more involved in her life than they had before.

After practice one evening the twins dragged Josie to duck back behind the team and return to the pitch, unlocking the door to the locker rooms and slipping inside. She stood silent and confused by the door way, watching Fred drag a bag out from behind a row of broom lockers and George unlock the door onto the field. It was a little too silent for her liking.

"What are we doing?" She asked softly, pushing the bangs that had been squished down by George's hat out of her eyes. "Testing something." Fred answered as he slung his bag over a wide shoulder and held a hand out to her. She took it hesitantly, a blush chasing away the chill on her cheeks as he led her out the door. The two of them shrugged off their uniforms, and Josie immediately flashed onto the image of them shitless, her face going scarlet. She pushed it from her mind the best she could and watched them set up whatever they were doing, the silence broken by the rustle of them shifting through their bag.

"So what are we testing?" she asked, jumping out of the way when a bright purple ball rolled towards her. "We're testing some fireworks we've been working on; you're going to enjoy the show." Fred said, walking over to her as he slide his scarf from around his neck and laid it around hers, winking at her before walking back to his brother. Josie sighed as her cheeks flushed, leaning against the wooden frame work of the stands surrounding the field.

A few minutes later, Fred and George had set up a line of fireworks to be set off. "You know if you leave scorch marks on the field you're getting walloped, right?" Josie asked, her arms crossed as he watched them. "Not if you don't tell. Besides, the grass is too wet to burn." George answered as he stood beside her, Fred lighting the first one and joining them. The explosive took off with a pop, twisting up a few yards above their heads before crackling and snapping into the shape of a fairy, like the ones floating around Professor Flitwick's classroom for Christmas, but the size of a house. It spun and flew off higher, almost passing the barrier between them and the eyes of the school, the stands, before it exploded into bright white lights that put the stars to shame.

They set them off one after another, Josie applauding each display, a small Chinese dragon, a golden snitch, a pair of broomsticks, a shattering visage of Snape's face, multicolored explosions that never seemed to end. Each lifted Josie's spirits, her heart swelling with joy as the three of them stood there in the dark, smiling and laughing for what seemed like hours as the twins tested each one of their new designs, only one of them failing. A troll that was supposed to swing a club and shatter into pieces stopped short on its swing and ended up hitting itself in the face. Josie didn't think it was a total failure; it was a failure to them.

The sky was pitch black and covered in stars when the last one was set off, Josie's head resting against Fred's shoulder as George lit the fuse, a lollipop they had given her hanging from her lips. A single red spark shot into the sky and delayed there, for a moment Josie thought it hadn't worked. But the second she took the candy from her mouth to comment, the red spark burst upward into a green line, and petals began to unfurl from the top to take shape of a flower. She felt their gaze on her as she watched, but she was too captivated by their work to address it, gasping softly as the petals shifted from red, to purple, to blue before sparking upward and falling back down again. The cluster of sparks fell into a shape, spelling out a single word.

Josephine.

She was shocked, unable to move her body at all except for the heart pounding in her chest. The sucker almost fell from her fingers, but she regained function of her body just in time as the light faded into the stars. She re-wrapped it clumsily and slid it into her coat pocket, looking at the both of them as they moved to stand in front of her. "Would be a good one for Valentine's Day that one, could customize it to be the name of the object of anyone's affection. " George said. "We like it how it is though." Fred added. "But we're biased." Their voices in unison bounced around in her head. They like it, they like…no, they must just be being nice, we're friends, there is no way they mean this in the way I want them to.

She had to ask, their grinning at her dumbfounded expression was killing her. "Biased, what do you mean biased?" she stuttered, looking up at them. "We like the name how it is…" "But then again it's already customized to the object of our affection." The two of them had their hands shoved in their pockets, rocking back and forth on their heels in unison. If you looked at them in the darkness it almost seemed like nervousness. Josie's heart had stopped; she dug her nails into her hand to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. She wasn't.

Josie couldn't speak, the breath had been knocked out of her. She was trying to wrap her head around what they were saying, but it was hard to get a grip on anything with it spinning in circles. "Are you saying that you…like me?" she managed to squeak out, her voice soft and trembling. "Of course we are, we didn't put the big ending together for nothing." Fred grinned. "Both of you like me?" she was speaking slowly, the question hanging in the air with each beat. Their ginger hair swung as they nodded. She stared at them in long silence, her mouth hanging open in shock. It was a while before she spoke again.

"Well that makes things difficult for me…" she muttered, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. George stepped forward and pulled it out again with his thumb, the rest of his fingers resting against her jaw. "We know, but it doesn't have to difficult." He said softly, smiling at her gently. It suddenly hit her why they decided to do this all of a sudden. They knew she liked them. "You know?" her voice was suddenly louder. If Lee had told them, he was dead. "Of course we know, you're certainly not a mastermind at hiding her feelings now are you?" Fred chuckled.

Josie was turning redder by the second, her heart thudding in her chest, her stomach doing flips as anxiety flooded her mind. "I can't like both of you, I know it's possible but it's really difficult and I don't know if I'm big enough for that." She was tripping over her words, stuttering and talking too fast. "Josie." "Yes?" "Shut it."

Looking up from her fingers, she locked eyes with the two of them, and she immediately started to calm down. They were kind, caring, worried, small smiles tugging at their lips as they both reached out to take her hands, holding them tightly. "Stop worrying. " Fred said. "Everything will be fine." George added. "Just let things happen." "And trust us. "

Josie sighed, letting her heart slow down as she thought, the twins rubbing their thumbs back and forth over the back of her hand as she breathed. "I like you boys a lot." She said softly, leaning her head against the wood behind her. "We know." "It's nice to hear you say it" "Finally." She smiled, pushing off the wall and wrapping her arms around each of them, hugging them in turn. "We should clean up and go back to the castle, its late." She said softly, slowly letting go of Fred and turning to pick up her bag.

They were mostly silent on the way back to the castle, but the silence was comfortable. It wasn't until they were in the common room about to part ways that it was broken. "Can we stay here for a bit?" She so softly, surprised when they heard and turned to look at her. "Of course." They responded, the three of them all crowding onto the couch, Josie's knee's pulled to her chest as they both laid arms across the couch behind her head. It was a long time before anyone said anything, the only sound the fire crackling. "How is this going to work…?" She asked softly, leaning her head back against their arms. "We can share." They said softly, one of their fingers running through her hair gently.

Josie didn't realize she was tired until she woke up to the fire burning low. Lifting her head up, she looked around to find herself leaning against Fred's shoulder, her legs in George's lap. The twins were both awake, and turned to look at her when she moved. "Morning sunshine." George said. "Oh shut it." She muttered, sitting up and stretching. "We should go to bed." The twins agreed with her, the three of them standing up and heading towards the stairs to their dorms.

"Did you like the fireworks?" They asked in unison, stopping and looking at her. Josie smiled softly, taking off the hat and scarf they had given her. "They were brilliant." She said softly, handing them back their belongings. They paused for a moment, just looking at each other. Josie was the first to move, standing on her toes in a moment of bravery to gently kiss them on the cheek, the twins resting their hands on her hip with each kiss, pressing their lips to her cheek in return.


	16. Strike The Match

Things didn't really change after that, the three of them just fell into a comfortable state of agreement. They like her, she likes them, and they all wanted to be together. They'd decided that they would continue showing themselves as friends to the rest of the student body and see where things went. The only thing that really changed in them was that they seemed to be more comfortable around each other, the twin's becoming less restrained around her and Josie calming down a bit, ceasing to worry about hiding her feelings or worrying about them not liking her. They still continued to make her flustered almost constantly, but she didn't have to worry about trying to hide it anymore. The twins teased her when she did become flustered around them, but it was playful.

It was snowing quite heavily the last day of Quidditch practice before the break, Josie sitting on a blanket on the edge of the field where she had stood the night fireworks ignited. She was wrapped up in her coat, George's hat covering her ears as both the twin's robes fluttered from their place around her shoulders in the breeze that had made its way onto the field. The team was not at its best today, the coming holidays distracting them from their drills.

Josie sat with her arms around her knees, her head on her arms as she thought. Earlier in the day a couple of Slytherin boys had jokingly complimented her and berated her when she thanked them, and their actions had taken a toll on her. She'd become so accustomed to the comfort and support she received when around her friends that any negativity affected her more than did earlier in the year. She was snapped from her thoughts when Wood called the practice off early, irritated at their lack of concentration. The team filed through the door into the locker rooms, Josie remaining where she was until Fred nudged her with his broomstick and helped her up, George picking up the blanket and her bag as they trailed far behind the rest and landing themselves the last one in the locker rooms.

"Are you alright? You seem out of it." George commented as he put his broom and bat away, Fred doing the same. Josie looked up from the speck of snow she had been staring at, removing their robes from her shoulders and tossing them into their waiting hands. "I'm fine." She said softly, tucking hair behind her ear. They both moved towards her, standing in front of her and taking one of her hands each between theirs. "You don't seem fine." "What's wrong?" "Who said what?"

Sighing, Josie scuffed her shoe against the floor. "Nothing, just dumb boys… "What did we do?" They said together with a chuckle, obviously trying to lighten her spirits. Her lips twitched in a smile as she squeezed their hands and laid her head on George's shoulder. "Just making fun of me….I guess I got used to feeling good about myself so it hurt more than it should." She mumbled, glancing up at the two of them. "Don't listen to other people, just listen to us." Fred said, grinning at her. "That's a slippery slope."

The twins chuckled at her, squeezing her hands. "You're beautiful Josie" "Don't listen to people like that." She smiled, straitening up and looking at the both of them. They just looked at each other for a very long time, Josie's fingers rhythmically tightening and releasing theirs to the beat of her pulse as the wind beat against the wooden walls.

Her eye's darted to Fred's lips when his tongue ran across them, then to George's as he grinned a bit and the tips of his teeth could be seen between them. She didn't know what came over her, but she let go of their hand as her blood rushed through her body rapidly and her heart pulled her forward.

Josie leaned upward on her toes, placing a hand behind their necks to pull them down to her as she pressed her lips softly against each pair of theirs in turn. The kisses were short and shy, her lips quivering as they fit to theirs and she was engulfed in the warmth of their flame. Her frozen toes curled and her shaking hands dug fingers into their skin as she felt the rush of them. She was completely at ease in herself yet a live wire, her hearing deafened by her pounding heart but heightened by the quiet that surrounded their moment.

The three of them stood with foreheads pressed together after the kiss ended until Josie cleared her throat of her shaking breath and took their hands again, the three of them heading back up to the castle, where Josie was going to write another letter to her mother as they lay in silence by the fire.

It was almost Christmas when she finally learned what was in the note her mother had written them, Fred suddenly announcing it at lunch the day before break. "Your mother invited us over for a visit by the way." He said between bites of mashed potatoes. "She already talked to ours, she said its fine." George added. Josie almost choked on a kernel of corn. "She did what?" Her voice jumped in pitch as she spoke, causing the twins to laugh. "Stop worrying, it just for a day. We'll get there in the morning, spend the day, and go home that night." "Do you not want to spend every waking moment with us." Fred said as he bat his eyes at her. "I have to bathe sometime." She mumbled, glancing at them as she picked up her glass of water. "We can help with that." This time she really did choke, sputtering on her water as she inhaled it, giving the twins a good laugh. "If they're pulling this stuff just after a couple of weeks then you're in trouble." Lee said. "Yeah double trouble." Josie mumbled as she cleared her throat.

"When are you coming over?" She asked a few moments later. "The day after Christmas, we're coming by portkey." George answered as they got up and headed for Charms, their arms linked together. " And I'm guessing my mother set this up. How does your mother feel about all this?" Josie asked as they climbed the stairs. "Glad to get us out of the house." They said together, entering the classroom and preparing for the last lesson before Christmas. The rest of their time at school before break was spent dragging through classes and meals, and packing up their things to go home for Christmas, and Josie worrying about seeing her family now that she's changed a bit since they last saw them.

Her stomach began to ache as she packed her bags and put Georgette in her cage, all of which were magically whisked away before she head down into the common room to wait on Fred, George and Lee so they could all head to the train together. It wasn't long after Percy had come through the portrait for the second time in two minutes to say goodbye to his girlfriend that the twins thundered down the stairs with Lee on their heels, all three of them jumping the last few steps and earning a stern look from their brother.

George stuck a bow onto Josie's head as they leaned on the back of the couch next to her, both of the twin's hands full of ribbon and bows. "Are you two wrapping presents?" she asked as she removed the bow from her hair and stuck it to the front of Fred's sweater. "We thought we'd decorate a bit on the way out. Add a bit more interest before everything becomes dull while we're gone." George said, turning his head to look at Percy as he called up the stairs to the girl's dormitory after Penelope Clearwater that he would write her everyday.

"Hey Percy! Why don't you just stay here with Pen-el-o-pee!" Fred called out in a singsong voice, catching his brother's attention. "Then she can deal with you!" George added. Percy looked annoyed and started to head towards the portrait, glaring daggers at them. "It'll be like a present for everyone." Josie said through her giggling. The twins looked at each other, grinning before unrolling their ribbon and jumping towards their brother.

"We'll help wrap!" they yelled as they took off, rolling out the ribbon as they circled Percy, wrapping him in ribbons as they ducked under each other to tie a knot. Percy began to yell at them, berating them as they walked back to Josie, handing her a bow and following her as she headed towards the portrait in a fit of giggles. Fred jumped in front of her before she passed Percy, swinging is arm out dramatically in his direction.

"Would you like to add the final touch, madam?" He said as properly as he could. Josie snorted and shook with laughter, looking at Percy before sticking the bow to his cheek and stepped back with them to admire their work. Fred and George linked arms with her, leading her out of the portrait and downstairs to leave for the train.

The ride home from Hogwarts was full of excitement, everyone chattering and moving from car to car, not able to sit still. Josie sat in a car in the back of the train with Lee and the twins, the four of them doing what they did best; joke around and eat sweets. They were trying different flavors of Berti Botts Every Flavor Beans; Lee forced to swallow a soap-flavored bean as Josie laughed at his expression. "You three need to write me as much as possible, I don't want to miss anything." She said, sifting through her box to try and find an Éclair-flavored bean. "And if you don't you're buying me candy." She added with a point in their direction.

"We will, calm down." George said, chuckling at her. "You're worse than out mother sometimes." Fred added. Picking up a Spinach flavored bean, she tossed it at his nose. "Eat your vegetables." Her voice cracked with laughter, Lee laughing along with her as the twins looked at each other and grinned. "We'd rather have something sweet." They winked at her, chuckling softly. "Cherry then" She giggled as she threw two Cherry flavored beans at them, causing Lee to howl and the twins to send candy flying in her direction. After pelting each other with beans, the four of them picked them up and settled in for the last two hours before they arrived, Lee Jordan staring out the window and dozing off as Josie moved to sit between the twins, their arms wrapping around her. They talked quietly for a while about their plans for the break, what their families did for Christmas, and the secret passageways the twins wanted to show her when they got back.

They were half an hour away when Lee awoke to Josie staring out the window at the snow covered fields, being lulled to sleep by the wind howling outside the train while the twins rubbed the back of her hands with their thumbs. Lee cleared his throat, and darted his eyes to the twins when Josie looked at him. She raised her head from Fred's shoulder to look up at him, catching him looking down at her with a small smile, George doing the same.

"What?" She asked softly, stretching her back a bit. "Nothing." The twins said together, letting go of her hands to ruffle her hair. She scowled at them, and fixed it the best she could as the four of them stood to shrug back into their coats and got ready to leave. The train pulled to a stop and people started to file down the hallway off the train, Lee slipping out the door and leaving Josie behind with the twins. She waited until the line of students had thinned out, not wanting to become cramped in the narrow hall.

As the last few groups walked past Josie shrugged her bag up onto her shoulder, realizing she was wearing Fred scarf as it twisted around the strap. She pulled it off from around her neck, holding it out to him with a small smile. "You may need that." She said softly. He took it from her hands, smirking a bit as he circled it back around her neck before pulling her closer by the ends and pressing his lips softly to hers. "You keep it. I'll probably get another for Christmas." He said when he pulled away from the kiss and Josie's eyes fluttered open. He pushed pass her and out the open door, and Josie was turned around by her hips as George pressed his lips to hers and winked at her when he pulled away. He took her hand and tugged her out the door, the three of them thundering down the hallway.

They went to find their luggage after stepping onto the platform, Josie standing on her toes to try and catch sight of her parents. She didn't see them anywhere, but her eyes landed on a duo of ginger hair being led down the platform by a round, wild haired woman that Josie could only guess was Mrs. Weasley. The twins were soon spotted by her, their names called out over the crowd as a man that must have been their father waved when they looked up.

They looked at Josie, eyes twinkling mischievously as she wrapped her arms around their necks and hugged them tight. "See you soon." She said as they pulled away, smiling brightly. "See you soon." They chimed together, grinning at her before heading towards their family, the group of ginger hair slowly growing as the Weasley children found their parents.

She wandered near the group to get away from the luggage so others could find their things, looking around for her parents. It was merely second that she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned into the arms of her father, picking her up in a tight hug. She smiled as he released her, and was pulled into the arms of her mother, who held her much longer than her father had. "Bonjour." She said through a laugh, taking her mother's hand as she pulled back and beamed at her daughter. "Bonjour mon cheri!" Her mother said excitedly, her pink stained grin wide to show bright white teeth.

Delephine Desmarais was a beautiful woman, the brown hair that Josie shared with her tumbling down around her flushed cheeks and slim shoulders. Brown eyes stared into blue as they looked at each other, as if something had changed between them, which it had. Her mother looked at her with new pride and light, glancing up at her father and smiling. "She looks so pretty, oui?" she asked him through her accent, Josie turning to look up at her father along with her.

Andre Desmarias was a very tall and lean man with an impressive mustache, the eyes he gave to Josie peering from under thick blonde eyebrows. His freckled cheeks puffed out as he grinned with gap teeth, petting his daughter's hair gently. "She's beautiful." He said, picking up Josie's luggage. Her mother took her hand, and the followed their father as he led them off the platform. They had barely gotten a few feet when her mother leaned to her ear.

"So where are they?" she asked softly with a devious smile. Josie rolled her eyes with a light laugh, looking behind her shoulder at the bustling group of gingers that were still standing by a pillar to sort out their luggage. Her mother looked with her, her curiosity obviously getting the best of her. "The two twins with longer hair, standing on the luggage cart." She said as she began to giggle when she saw them, Fred and George balancing on top of their luggage. They caught her eye and waved, nodding towards her mother when Delephine gave a short wave in their direction.

"They're gorgeous." Her mother laughed as she squeezed Josie's hand, causing her daughter to blush. The two women looked forward again as they passed through the barrier and followed her father as he headed towards Diagon Alley so they could return home his way, by floo.


	17. Far Away

The familiar air of Chateauroux filled her lungs as they exited the small wizard's café in the old downtown area in which her family lived along with the rest of the wizarding population. Josie tugged up Fred's scarf around her face as the cold chill that blew through the old boulevards stung her cheeks. The Desmarais home was one of three "small" apartments over a pastry shop owned by a wizard couple that lived next to them, her mother's studio just next door. The building was ancient, the walls covered with snow dusted ivy kept living by a charm the owners cast each year, the bright green brilliant against the white walls and frost.

Her father opened the door to the stairs, the entrance secluded in the small alleyway between two buildings, and the family of three rushed in, Josie leading the way up the spiraled metal stairs to the landing. Taking the keys from her father, she unlocked the boring brown door and entered the home she had grown to miss. The apartment was much larger on the inside due to the glory of magic, the seemingly small one bedroomed with kitchenette apartment branched out through reality into their four bedroom, two bathroom home that Josie had grown up in. The rooms were decorated in deep reds and purples, dark wood meeting bright white walls that were scattered with art and photographs, gold light fixtures lighting the rich space. Her mother was an artist, her canvas branching from her easel to her home.

In a fit of un-ladylikeness, Josie took off across the foyer and into the living area, flipping over the back of the deep red ornate couch and scrambling to the balcony windows to look out across the city, old architecture dusted with snow and the castle in the distance. Wizards in swirling robes walked the streets of the magic market, children bundled in thick coats following blonde witches in pale frocks doing their Christmas shopping as they came and went from the stores below. She returned the pale gold curtains to their place before turning when the fireplace caught, flames brushing against the white brick as her father returned his wand to his pocket.

He smiled at her, walking over and ruffling her hair. "I'll take your things to your room. "He said, kissing the top of her head and heading down the hallway. Her mother had been left standing in the doorway, smiling softy when she caught her daughters eye before walking over to her. "We'll go out for tonight and tomorrow I will make a big breakfast. Mr. and Mr. Giroux are bringing you a box of your favorites to welcome you home." Her mother spoke in soft French, Josie struggling to fall back into hearing it. Her father spoke in English to her, because he had wanted her to be bilingual, but her mother struggled with speaking anything but French. She could write English well enough, but speaking was harder for her. Her mother only learned it in the first place because when she had met her father he was re-learning French after moving back into the country to take care of his parents, and Delephine had decided to attempt to learn English to make the growth of their relationship easier. This was a story Josie had heard on every single anniversary they'd had since her birth.

"Thank you." Josie said softly in French. Her mother took Josie's hands between her own, kissing them. "I'm glad to have you home Josephine." She said softly, her eyes sparkling with pride. "You've grown so much in just a few months, I'm very proud of you…and I'm sorry for not seeing earlier that you were not going to be the girl I was convinced you needed to be." Josie smiled, nodding her head slightly and looking at the ground. "I tend to go by Josie now by the way…" she stuttered softly, worried of her mother's reaction. "Do you want to be called that?" "If it's not too much to ask." "Then Josie it is." Her mother said with a gentle smile. "Thank you." She said softly, smiling widely as her anxiety lightened.

The sound of paws softly thudding across wood floor pulled them from their mother daughter moment, and Josie looked up in time to see a small tabby kitten jump onto the top of the couch and mew softly at her. She walked over to pick up the young cat, its tail puffed out as it sniffed her new Hogwarts smell.

Jones was a small mostly blonde tabby with a crooked tail and golden eyes. Josie had gotten the tiny kitten in the middle of the summer, and it hadn't grown much at all since then. She cuddled the kitten under her chin as she moved towards her room, Jones mewing repetitively in excitement. After passing her father in the hallway, Josie nudged open the door to her room with her toe, slipping in the crack of the doorway.

Her suit case sat at the end of her bed, open as the clothes flew out of it and separated into clean and dirty, a spell probably cast by her father. The clean clothes folded themselves and went into the open draws of her pale grey dresser, the dirty ones piling themselves on the floor to be washed. Jones wriggled out of her arms and jumped onto the platform her bed sat upon, curling up in the cat bed that sat below her pillow.

Josie flicked on the lamp that sat in the corner of her room and drew open the curtains of her small window, the setting sun casting an orange glow across the thick black rug and deep blue blankets. She hadn't realized how much she had missed her room, the comfort of her bed surrounding her as she threw herself back against the collection of pillows and the fluffy comforter, her old stuffed rabbit flopping over from her sudden arrival. The room was very much Josie, meaning it was very much what Josie needed in a bedroom. It was comforting and calm, the dim lights, soft materials and cool colors keeping her anxiety to a minimum. Posters of muggle bands and movies, paintings her mother had done for her, quotes, and photographs covered her walls, colors standing out against the white paint. Stars covered her ceiling, something her mother had painted her when she was very small by her request, her father enchanting the painting to move with the stars in the sky not matter what time of day it was.

She had just noticed a vase of blue and white roses amongst the clutter on her dresser when her father popped his head into the room. "You should probably get ready to go out for dinner lapin, it's getting late and your mother is hungry. And you know how she is when she's hungry." He made a frightened face to signify the nightmare her mother was when she hadn't eaten enough, causing Josie to giggle as she sat up. "Give me a minute, I won't be long." She said softly, getting up and heading towards her closet, an indent in the wall with a curtain in front of it.

Many of the clothes Josie owned would make her grandmother squirm, much to Josie's delight. Her grandmother thought she should wear mostly white and pale pink, only dresses and skirts and pretty pinch-y shoes, the elderly woman set on her granddaughter being the picture of ladylike closet was mostly dark purples, all shades of blues, white, silver, black, and the new found assortment of red and gold from her father's gifts. Josie pulled on a knitted shirt and long skirt, slipping into an old pair of boots and a thick jacket, patting Jones on the head before heading out her bedroom door.

Splashing water on her face and shaking her hair out in the bathroom, she faltered before she went to meet with her parents, ducking back into her room to grab Fred's scarf off her bed and turn off the light. The floor creaked under her feet more than she remembered, her stomach churning uncomfortably at the thought she might have put on more weight at Hogwarts. She had thought she felt more jiggle than usual while cheering at the last Quidditch match, her tights squeezing her thighs more than usual.

Her father found her staring at the floor boards in front of the bathroom, her lip swollen between her teeth and her mind swimming with the negativity that the twin's light had always pushed into the shadows. Woolen yarn was clutched between her fingers as she rung the scarf in her hands. She was snapped out of her thoughts by a rough hand taking hers, her eye's focusing on the matching set that belonged to her father, the tall man crouched in on himself to look up at her. His forehead was set in lines of worry, something it had done since she was little whenever she had an attack.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, blue eyes fierce with worry as he stared at her. Josie reached out her hand to trace the lines in his skin with her thumb; her heart falling at the realization that she had given him those. "I'm sorry." She muttered softly. Her father cracked a smile, standing up and taking her hand. "You always used to do that when you were little. Your hand was much smaller compared to my head then." He chuckled. Josie smiled, the expression halfhearted. "Guess everything got bigger." She muttered, but the words did not catch on her father's ears as he led her by the hand towards the front door where her mother waited for them.

They ate dinner at a small restaurant a street down from the apartment, and returned to their home with full stomachs and light hearts. She had told her parents everything she could about Hogwarts, talking excitedly for hours over the multiple courses that she had forgotten came in a French meal. She returned home and took the longest hot shower she had ever taken before heading into her room to bury herself under her blankets.

But once she entered the room she was struck by something that was not there when she left. A sweater was laid across her bed, Jones curled up underneath one of the sleeves. She was confused as to why it had been set there and not put in her closet or into the laundry by the spell. The answer was soon given upon closer inspection. George Weasley's sweater had gotten mixed in with her clothes when she had packed, and the spell her father had cast had not known what to do with it since it was not her clothing.

Josie sighed, promising herself to write them a letter in the morning before climbing in under the covers, Jones settling in on her pillow by her head. The stars above her moved slowly as the earth turned, and she found herself thinking if Fred and George could see the same stars she could, or if they could even see them at all from where ever they were. Her mind continued to wander, unable to find a place to settle so she could fall asleep. After what seemed like hours she became annoyed with her restlessness, and grabbed a book from the drawers beneath her bed to read by the light of candle on her nightstand. After a while of reading, in a state of drowsiness, Josie grabbed the sweater off the end of her bed and pulled it on over her nightdress to fight the chill that was creeping through the window panes.

She soon tumbled into dreams of the twins, her fingers tucked between the pages of her book, the smell of gunpowder and chocolate filling her with each slow, soft breath taken from between still kiss tingled lips.


	18. Someone Thats Not Me

The week was a whirlwind of normality, and Josie became thoroughly annoyed with it very quickly. Days without the twin's antics were days that passed far too quickly, no pranks or flirtatious happenings to make one stand out from the other. She hung around the pastry shop and her mother's studio, her father away during the day time to work at the French branch of the Ministry of Magic obliviating muggle memories of magical happenings, her mother usually locked in her studio painting the day away.

Her quill scratched against her parchment as she sat in the shop below her room, the smell of rising dough and caramelized sugar filling her lungs as cool air blew in from the constantly opening door, people filling in to get the first batches of pastries hot from the oven. She sat in a corner by the window, a cup of hot chocolate and a platter of fruits and baked goods in front of her, wrapped up in the sweater that she wore in rotation with the scarf, both of which did not belong to her. The sleeves fell around her hands as she wrote in languid strokes, her writing bubbling across the parchment as she signed it.

"Dear Fred and George

I hope your break had been okay so far, even though it's only been a week or so. I'm sure Percy has a giant stick up his ass; so I hope you're doing your best to "entertain" him. Just make sure to keep Ginny out of the way. She doesn't deserve to have her hair turned violet right before Christmas, as lovely as it would look on her.

I can't wait for you two to come over; I'm going to need friends after the ordeal that is Christmas with my grandmother. She's definitely not someone you would like, very stuck up, and likes for me to act like a proper lady. She is a muggle though, and so many of them are obsessed with looks and how others perceive them. Many wizarding folk are too, especially in this region, but she's the worst of the worst. "Back strait. Legs together. Always serve men first. Eat small bites. Don't clean your plate. Never eat more than a few bites of desert. You should have a boyfriend. You're not flirting around with too many boys are you? Don't dress like that you look like a harlot. Why are you dressed like that, you look so plain. Have you learned how to cook better? You have to be polite. Keep your thoughts to yourself, its improper to share them all. You need to dress up more, you can't wear sweaters constantly. " Blah blah blah. Some of her rules are so strange; they're not even from our culture. She reads all these translated magazines from America, they're from decades ago. It's going to be hell, I know the manners I once had have faded from being around you two and Lee constantly. Luckily my mother seems to have realized that I'm not to be molded by her or my grandmother after seeing how much better I've gotten since starting Hogwarts.

I told mother that she hadn't known what she was getting into by inviting you two over; she's taking me out today to buy food to feed you two, since neither of you have an end to your stomach. She's probably going to bombard you with questions and fawn over you. She's very excited that I have friends, even more excited that I feel anything besides anxiety and worry towards someone. She doesn't know about what happened in the locker rooms, though she'll probably badger me enough about if anything…like that… had happened to drive me to tears and she'll know soon enough. She doesn't let up, she's besides herself with the fact that I actually…well, like the both of you.

Anyway, I apologize in advance for any badgering or awkward moments she may give. She'll probably ask you a thousand questions even though I told her we're not even sure what to do about it being three of us liking each other. She doesn't seem to think it's an issue. She keeps going on and on about how much I've changed in the last few months. I guess I have, I didn't really notice. I don't know if anyone else did.

Tell your mother I said thank you for letting you come over, and to expect a box of pastries and probably other things coming home with her sons.

P.S. Fred, your scarf is very warm and I'm guessing your mother made it. George, my cat has grown fond of your sweater being his bed, you may have trouble getting it back.

See you soon,

Josie Desmarais"

Her mother walked in at that moment, a small golden bag nestled in the crook of her arm as she sat across from Josie at the small table, watching her daughter roll up the parchment and tie it closed with a red ribbon.

"I always wondered why you send your letters like that." Delephine said with a small smile, Josie rolling her eyes and sipping her hot chocolate. "That's how you've sent your letters ever since I was born." she said back, taking a bite of a strawberry. "This is very true." Her mother picked a raspberry from the plate, glancing at her daughter. "Don't cross your legs like that dear, it's not how a lady sits."

Josie sighed, sliding her legs closed and sipping the last of her drink. Her mother had been so good about not nagging her about her manners or being proper, but old habits were hard to break. She knew Delephine had been told the same things by her own mother, but that didn't change that it bothered her. Soon after her mother sat down, it was decided they should leave to shop for Christmas and groceries before it got too late and the shops filled up.

They were in a boutique on the muggle side of downtown, her mother busily shopping around for presents for her sister in law. Josie sat on an overly stuffed fainting couch, staring at her daydreams reflected the crystals of the chandelier hanging over head. She was lost in an embarrassing vision of red hair and freckled skin when her mother threw a pile of clothes onto her lap with an exclamation of "Try these on!" Causing Josie to jerk violently and almost throw herself into the floor from surprise. Looking at the pile of fabric in her lap, she sighed loudly and stood to face the terror that was a dressing room.

The door shut behind her, and she tried to not look in the mirror as she changed into the first thing her mother had picked out, a white dress that clung far too tightly to her stomach. The only thing she could say nice about it, which she tried to do with any clothing she tried on, was that the tightness did keep the extra squish around her middle from jiggling as much if she jumped. Which she did before taking it off and putting it back on the hanger, reaching for the next garment her mother had thrust upon her.

To her surprise she found that a skirt her mother had picked out hung off her full hips loosely even after being zipped up. Quite a few of the clothes her mother had picked out hung looser than needed off her, which puzzled Josie greatly. I couldn't have gotten smaller; I eat too much at school. She thought to herself, but upon further inspection she realized the clothes were indeed her size. She sat on the ornate chair in the dressing room in her underwear in confusion, not moving until her mother knocked on the door softly and asked if she was okay. Josie poked her head out the door, ill-fitting clothing in hand.

"I think I need a smaller size." She muttered softly, not sure how to feel about the situation. Her mother must have noticed her apprehension, because instead of over reacting like she usually would, she simply smiled and went to find smaller sizes of the clothes handed to her.

Josie felt off the rest of the day, not sure how to feel about the change. She wasn't too insecure about her size, but it did bother her at times. Her mind was mostly boggled at the fact that she had lost weight at all eating the way she did at Hogwarts. She expected the large quantities of sweets and food would cancel out the constant running around with the twins and stair climbing, but she was obviously wrong. She didn't think long about it, her mind pulled elsewhere as they arrived home, her father instantly bombarding her and her mother with the story of today's work as he helped them carry their bags up the metal staircase, his tale continuing through Josie sending Georgette off with her letter to the twins and the dinner her father prepared that night.

Soon enough Christmas came, Josie's mother beside herself with preparing presents before they left for her grandparents' house, a large old home in the country side near Paris which members of the French side of the family met every year on Christmas Eve. She was thankful she was on the wizarding side of the family, the three hour trip shortened to a few minutes by her father's magic. Josie kept her hand in her pocket, fingers brushing the parchment of Fred and George's latest letter to her as she waited for the very large front door to open, her other hand holding a bag full of gifts for the children of the family to open in the morning, and for the adults on her mother's side to open on New Year's day. Since the families lived so far apart from each other, they had long ago decided that Christmas would be spent with her mother's side and New Years with her father's.

"Dear Josie

Don't worry; Percy is more excited to have us out of the house than mom is. His skin was blue for a few days, he "accidentally" ate one of our experimental sweets, and he found his badge inside his dinner bread last night, he's had an interesting break so far. We'll tell him you send your love and miss him greatly. I'm sure he'll swoon at a the thought of a girl as pretty as you giving him the time of day.

Your grandmother sounds like she needs a good shock to set her strait. We could bring a box of our newer (and untested) items for a late Christmas gift. Maybe a bulbous green and purple boil on the end of her nose would get her to keep it out of other people's business, a few fireworks under her shoes would send her into this century…or blow her toes clear off but a little collateral is expected. Fred thinks we should shove her into a trunk and send it off on a faulty broomstick.

Don't worry about her, it's not worth it. You're great, and if she can't see that past the ulcers on her eyelids from the toxic fumes off those stupid magazines than forget it. Muggles don't see what's right in front of them most of the time anyway. You're brilliant Josie, don't let her make you think any differently. Just because you're different from her does not make you lower than her, it makes you a thousand times better and there's no comparing you to anyone else.

If your mother does ask us anything, and we're sure she will, we'll be sure to thoroughly embarrass you and give her all the details of how you passionately shoved us to the floor of the locker room and snogged us till we passed out from lack of oxygen. She's not going to be any more nagging than our mother, stop worrying about it. And stop worrying about what you, Fred and I are. Oh wow, two guys like the same girl and she likes both of them, weirder things have happened. Besides, Lee says there's actually a word for it, and that we're not the first. It's polyamory or something like that. You like us, we like you, you kissed us, we kissed you. It's done. Calm down and just enjoy it love.

Mum says thank you and Happy Christmas. You can keep the scarf and sweater, we have loads.

See you soon, the boyfriends

Fred and George Weasley

Mostly George since Fred couldn't write legibly to save his life."

See you soon. Josie kept repeating that over and over in her head, telling herself that if she could just get through tonight she would see them tomorrow and have a day to enjoy their company. Her heart had not stopped beating widely since she read the letter the evening before, the sweetness shown in the writing giving her a permanent flush which her mother commented on many times as she tried to get Josie to tell the details of her first kiss. Of course her mother had gotten the news out of her, jokingly threatening to intercept the next letter if she didn't tell. Josie knew that her fingers wouldn't leave her pocket the entire night, and probably not until the next morning.

The door swung open, Josie's grandfather standing in the doorway wearing an apron and a grin. Josie's grandfather was a very sweet and soft spoken man who spent most of his time in his large kitchen, a complete juxtaposition to her grandmother. She was immediately pulled into a tight hug and kissed on both cheeks, his stubble tickling her cheek as he exclaimed how much she'd grown and how pretty she looked before greeting her mother and father and ushering them into the warm house. It was as annoyingly clean as always, at least by Josie's standards, every color pale and untouched by dust.

She felt very out of place in the sparkling foyer, her dark tights, bright red flats, pale gold skirt, black sweater and knitted scarf contrasting to the pale pink and yellows around her. Her parents disappeared through the arch into the living area, the loud talking signaling that the room was filled with the rest of her family. Unraveling Fred's scarf from around her neck, she slowly followed after her parents, reminding herself to speak in French as she was bombarded by her extended family. Their numbers weren't large, most of the people there her second and further cousins. Her mother had no siblings, so any family came from her grandmother and grandfather.

The females in the room gathered around the large white sofas, talking to Delephine rapidly about what she had been doing lately. Soon enough Josie was pulled into the conversation, all of her great aunts and second cousins asking about her life and the change of schools. Josie's answers remained as short and polite as possible, hoping they would grow tired of her and move onto another subject. The idea seemed hopeful, until her aunt grabbed the edge of the scarf and examined the bright red F that was sewn into the corner.

"Whose scarf is this?" she asked in a teasing voice, raising an eyebrow suggestively at the younger girl. Josie froze up immediately, beginning to stutter and blush, which was not the best reaction she could have had in this situation. Her cousin caught on to her embarrassment immediately. "Do you have a boyfriend?" Before the breath needed to answer could be taken, someone cleared their voice from behind the couch, the entire room turning to look at the newest addition to the party.

Josie's grandmother stood with her hands on the back of the couch, adorned in pearls and pale pink, bright blonde curls surrounding an overly powdered face. Josie immediately felt her stomach clench, meeting her grandmothers gaze despite her instinct to look away. Her grandmother smiled slightly, the twitch at the corner of her lips barely noticeable. "I don't think badgering a young girl about her love life is a proper topic of conversation, no matter how improper it is to wear a lovers clothing to a family gathering." She said, her voice sickeningly smoothed and rehearsed. Josie kept her eyes from rolling, thankful that her mother soon came to her aid. "It's her friend's he gave it to her took keep over the break to calm her anxiety. It's better than filling her full of chemicals. "Delephine said simply and curtly, a smile on her face as she looked up Josie's grandmother.

The rest of the night was spent with her grandmother scolding her for everything she did and was. "Your hair needs cutting; it's grown out at that school." "Your hands are stained with ink. Have you forgotten how to keep yourself clean?" "I thought I told you to stop wearing clothing like that. You'd think you'd dress better with an example like your mother." "You don't need any more food, that school has stretched out your stomach." "Delephine, are you sure she got smaller?" Each remark was met with a retort from Delephine and a grimace from Josie, her heart sinking lower into her stomach. But her usual dry mouth, shaking hands and twisting stomach were accompanied by white hot anger pooling in her chest. The tenseness in her muscles was released when her grandmother made a comment a little too far into personal territory after dinner, when everyone was wandering in and out of the dining area to talk.

"I don't think we have to worry about anyone wanting to seduce the girl, but you really should monitor who she hangs around with. From what you've told me they don't seem like the highest of quality. And who knows what low level of standards those people have, especially the boys her age. Unlike the people from this side of the channel, those people will go for anyone with enough bosom to hold. And those two friends of hers, the twin ones who play that frightfully violent game, sound like the type who would take advantage of someone as naïve as her. I've read stories you wouldn't believe."

Josie's hands met the table with satisfying force, the glasses shaking and her father's wine toppling over. The entire room fell hushed, and she could swear she saw her father grin from his seat next to her. "Shut up! Those two are the best thing that's ever happened to me and more family to me than you have ever been. I am beautiful with a good group of friends that like me for the person I am, and you can't stand that I'm successful and happy without your stupid regulations. Guess what? I make good marks, I have friends who care about me, I made a decision to change my life that you had no say in and it was the best thing that has ever happened to me besides being born to my mother and father. I'm sick of starving myself and shaking from anxiety, worrying I'm going to do something wrong that upsets you, I'm sick of holding my tongue so I don't cause a scene. This is my scene, not yours. I caused it, and I am its star. Get used to it."

She couldn't breathe, her entire body was shaking violently and she felt like she might faint. Josie had never said so many words to her grandmother, let alone words like that. The hairs on her arms stood up as she became aware of every eye in the room trained on her, her mother shocked behind her chair and her father a grinning bundle of pride at her side. Looking at each person in the room, she found a mix of shock, amusement and joy, most of them looking like they had waited for her to snap for a long time. Josie could barely hear her grandfather mutter "She is her mother's child…" as she sped past him and out the front door.

Hands fisted around her letter and the scarf, she curled herself up in the snow under a scrawny tree. Struggling at slowing down her breathing as tears rolled down her cheeks, she felt the air shift as her father sunk down into the yard next to her, thick arms wrapped around her as her lifted her up and carried her out the gate. Delephine came laughing out the front door with bags of unopened presents in hand, her worried words for Josie drowned out by a mutter in her ear. "That's my girl."


	19. Hush, Hush

The next morning dreams of being held under fireworks were shattered by the morning sun bouncing from the snowy rooftops. Josie woke up, still in her clothing from the night before after passing out halfway into a cup of tea to stop her panic attack, to Jones pawing at her nose as her mother called from outside her door to get up. Nudging the tiny kitten off her chest, she rolled over to glance at the clock on her bedside, nearly jumping out of her skin when she looked at the time. The twins would supposed to be picked up from the portkey in thirty minutes, giving her just over an hour to get herself and her room ready.

She quickly grabbed the clothes she had chosen to wear yesterday morning, running past her mother and the basket of fresh laundry into the bathroom to quickly shower and blow-dry her hair. Throwing on her long sleeved shirt and almost tripping over the flared bottom of the dark jeans she was buttoning as she ran into her room, quickly picking up her dirty clothes hamper and the cup she drank tea from last night and ran to the put them in their desired places. Blue eyes glanced at the clock after she was through shoving her basket of clean laundry into the bottom of her closet and straitening up a few things, relieved to find she had a few minutes to spare.

Her mother joined Josie in the kitchen as she fiddled with the freshly washed dishes, quickly fixing tea and putting away anything out of place. Delephine had to have everything be absolutely perfect if people came over, thinking that she was going to be judged horribly if her home was the least bit untidy. Long tanned arms stained with paint wrapped around Josie, her mothers chin setting on the top of her hear. "About last night…" she started to say before being cut off by Josie. "I don't want to talk about it." She said softly, her stomach churning a bit. "That's fine. I'm just going to say you're not in trouble, and I'm proud that you stood up for yourself." She said, letting go of her and walking towards the living room. Josie stood there in the kitchen until she heard the key turn in the lock and her father called from the foyer. "We're here!"

Brown hair swung as she tilted her head around the corner, looking into the living area as Fred and George stepped inside. She restrained herself from wrapping her arms around them and refusing to let go until they left, instead settling on straitening her clothes one last time and hesitantly walking into the living room. Josie's day was instantly brightened when the twins turned from greeting her mother, locking eyes with her and breaking out into grins in unison. Blood rushed to her cheeks as she stood patiently beside her mother as she introduced herself and asked them questions before Fred could even set down the bag he had slung over his shoulder.

"Bonjour! It's nice to meet you. I'm Josephine's mother, and you two must be Fred and George. I'm so glad she has friends to invite over." Josie was ready to bang her head against the wall after mere minutes of her mother speaking, but the expressions the twins made while trying to understand her mother's accent were quite funny. This was undoubtedly going to be the most embarrassing day of her life.

Minutes later she was sitting on the far side of the couch away from the twins, her mother asking questions and talking to them like they were the most interesting people in the world. "So how did you meet her? I'm sure she didn't just waltz up to you and start talking to you, I'd faint from shock if she did." Her mother was saying as she twirled her wedding ring around her finger. Fred chuckled, glancing at Josie who was watching them from underneath her bangs as she chewed her lip nervously. She had a feeling that the twins wouldn't skip the chance to embarrass her in good fun. "Well we were walking through the train to see our friend…" "And we passed by an open door, and saw a pretty girl we'd never seen before. " "She looked about our age, so it was odd we didn't recognize her." "We introduced ourselves, like proper gentlemen." Josie breathed a laugh, listening intently to their side of the first time they met. "I'm sure she was a bit put off by that." Her mother said with a smile that hid a thousand words meant for Josie to pick up on.

"She was fine, very charming." "A little nervous, but she warmed up to us quickly." "Even fell into my lap when the lights went off on the train." Josie choked on the tea she was sipping on when they let that bit of information, looking at them in shock while she fought the urge to kick them in the shins. Her mother giggled elegantly as Josie sent them a look from across the couch before clearing her throat. "It was an accident." She said shakily, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "It was a lucky one." George said, grinning at her.

Her mother asked how Josie did in school compared to everyone who's been there for years. "Better than half of us, Lee refuses to do his homework without her in the room." Fred said, chuckling a bit. By the time her mother really got into the territory of their relationship, Josie was in the kitchen making more tea, most of which she had sipped away herself out of nervousness. Ornate patterns tickled her fingers as she moved the teapot back onto the tray, the cups rattling as she picked up the tray and headed back towards the kitchen. She wished she had taken Fred up on his offer to help, the first words she heard when entering the room causing her to lose her grip on the tray and nearly drop it. "So I heard she kissed you after a sports practice."

The hitch in her breath drowned out their answer. The bowl of cookies her mother had bought from downstairs fell off the tray as it tipped dangerously, hot tea spilling on to Josie's hand as she lowered it to the floor. Fred and George were at either side of her instantly, her mother close behind them. "Are you alright?" George asked, taking her hand that had begun to shake as anxiety pumped through her blood. Fingers pushed hair behind her ear, the movement drawing her eyes up to Fred's face as time slowed around the three of them. The panic drained from her eyes as they scanned over furrowed eyebrows, flushed freckled cheeks and deep eyes. Her head turned to the hands that were holding hers, turning over the tea stained skin to check for burns as George wiped off the hot liquid. Slightly calloused fingers grazed over her skin as he bent down to look her in the eyes, stopping her hyperventilating in its tracks. "I'm fine, just lost my grip." Josie's mother drug her to the kitchen to look at her hand, Fred and George picking up the tray and dropped sweets before following close after.

After that crisis had been taking care of, the subject that Josie so desperately wanted to be forgotten was brought up again. Through the wall between the living room, Fred and Josie could hear Delephine ask the dreaded question as George helped her clean up. Josie regretting listening to her mother and staying in the living room with Fred to hold ice on her hand, now she couldn't stop the question from being asked. "So, she kissed you first?" her mother's muttered voice asked, Josie's head snapping to look in her direction quick enough to give her whiplash. Fred chuckled beside her, holding her hand between his to keep the ice on it, his thumb stroking her palm as she listened to the conversation going on behind them.

"Uh, yeah. She did, kind of out of nowhere really." George paused. "I guess it makes it even, since we're the ones who told her we liked her first." "So it was just that once?" She was going to strangle her mother for being so nosey, even by Josie's standards it was impolite. George's chuckle came the exact moment Fred's did beside her as he moved closer and laid an arm across the couch behind her. "Not exactly. I don't mean to be impolite mam, but your daughter's beautiful, if anyone got to know her they wouldn't be able to keep away either. " Georges words made her heart skip a bit, her cheeks turning red as she looked towards Fred questioningly an argument hanging from her lips. It was silenced before she could say anything, her words catching in her throat as Fred's fingers played with her hair and smiled at her when he spoke. "It's true."

The next question barely reached her ears through the thudding in her chest. "Is it going to be a relationship officially any time soon?" "As soon as she accepts." Fred said just as George did in the other room, leaning over to kiss her cheek gently and smirk at her dark crimson blush. Her mother and George appeared moments later, Josie clearing her throat to fight off her flustered state as Delephine picked her bag up off the couch, heels clicking loudly as she headed to the door. "I'll be going now, be home in time to start dinner for the five of us. Have anything you want from the refrigerator, and don't wander too far if you leave the house." She said it all so quickly Josie didn't realize she was leaving until she was at the door. "Have fun!" Her mother called as the door closed and her parent left her alone. In the apartment. With two teenage boys. You think she'd have better judgment. Josie thought, before realization hit her that her mother knew exactly what she was doing. Looking at the set of grinning faces in front of her, Josie started planning exactly what she was going to do to her mother when she got home.

She was going to thank her.


	20. Just Forget The World

An hour later, Josie was pacing her room ranting about her grandmother after re-telling them the happenings of the prior night, her fingers raking through her hair and her accent thickening as she spoke. It was only when she started talking in rapid French that the twins decided she was getting too riled up, her breathing coming in short gasps at random intervals. George was the first to get up from his spot in on the window seat, walking over to her and taking her face between his hands to stop her. "Hey, calm down." She looked up deep into his eyes and breathed to calm herself down, her hands shaking. "She's a rotten woman who doesn't deserve a beautiful, intelligent granddaughter like you. Stop letting her get to you." She nodded, laying her hand over his as they gazed at each other until she completely calmed down. The three decided to find something to eat, food always having eased Josie's nerves and the two boys getting hungry even after they'd eaten what sounded like an extensive breakfast at their home.

As Fred fixed yet another sandwich in the kitchen, George and Josie looked over the streets at the people who passed below, counting the number of times people looked up at the head of flaming red hair above them. All was well again until one of the nasty girls from the high end witches clothing shop around the corner looked up at her balcony and scoffed, nudging her equally nasty friend in the side before calling up to them. Josie knew these girls; they liked to tease her about her lack of social interaction. Even though their ridiculing of her counted as a social interaction.

"Josephine Desmarais is that a boy up there with you?!" one of them called in French, the mention of her full name grating on her nerves. "Yes, what's that mean to you?" she called back, leaning over the railing of her balcony. The girl flipped her annoyingly strait hair and placed a hand on her hip. "Tell him, whoever he is, that if he wants something better to go to the animal shop down the street. I'd offer him to come down and meet us, but if he has such little sense to be up there with you then he's not worth it." "He does look attractive actually." The other interjected, George looking at Josie confused at what she was saying. He could tell it wasn't polite, the clenching of Josie's jaw and the shakiness of her breathing showing she was irritated, and the dark blush that spread over her cheeks and ears showed her embarrassment. The first girl chuckled, gesturing to George with a wave of her hand. "She can have him. But, she's had everyone." The sentence's ending was broken by laughter.

"What are they saying?" George asked softly, leaning into her and wrapping an arm around her waist. "They're making fun of me for having a boy in my house, saying you should get with one of them, and comparing me to an animal. One called you attractive though." She said softly, beginning to chew at her lip. George scowled and glared down at the girls, watching them walk away cackling. He smirked suddenly, winking at Josie before throwing himself nearly completely over the balcony and yelling at the top of his lungs. "Oi! Watch this!" A shudder rolled down Josie's spine and settled in her lower stomach at the exclamation, the gruffness of his yelling reminding her that they could be more than playful or caring. Why did their voices have to get so rough when they yelled?

Both girls looked up at her, jumping at the loudness of his voice as their heads snapped up. Josie didn't what was happening, her attention brought back from the twisting in her stomach when George wrapped an arm around her waist and turned her to dip her slightly, his other hand sliding behind her neck as his lips crushed down onto hers. All the blood rushed into her cheeks, becoming light headed even though her heart was clearly pumping enough blood to her brain, beating rapidly in her chest as George's lips moved against her own. His mouth fully locked onto hers, soft lips giving her more than the simple short kisses they had shared before the break started. His grip on the back of her neck tightened as her shock wore off and she kissed him back, her hands gripping the front of his shirt as a small pleased noise made its way out of her throat. They pulled apart moments later, George swinging her back around to stand and grinning down at the two girls, who scoffed loudly and walked away in a rage, muttering something about being indecent.

Josie was leaning against the railing, her cheeks bright red and her breathing heavy. The combination of being kissed like that and George's yelling prior to it had made her completely flustered, her stomach in knots and blood pumping furiously. Fred walked out a minute later with a sandwich in hand, taking one look at Josie and then glancing in George's direction. "What did you do?" He asked, chuckling at Josie's ruffled state. His brother leaned over and whispered in his ear, a grin breaking out over Fred's face they high fived. Josie rolled her eyes, straitening herself up and heading back inside with the twins trailing her, going to wait in her room while she escaped with slumped shoulders to the bathroom to calm herself down.

Why do they have to do that? They should know if frustrates me… She thought to herself as her eyes ran over her ruffled hair and flushed skin in the bathroom mirror, fighting the urge to undo the knots in her stomach quickly so she could calm down. Her insides twitched as a throaty laugh drifted across the hall from her room, followed by the sounds of shuffling. She hated that they had this effect on her, hated that they could do little simple things that made something stir inside her. And this wasn't the first time they had done this, they had been doing it so often lately that Josie became suspicious that they knew that they caused her to feel more for them than just admiration.

Fred kept playing with her hair whenever possible, always seeming to make sure to brush her neck just exactly enough to send shivers down her spine. George had stood close behind her when she was showing him something in Potions, warm breath blowing across the back of her ear and her body colliding with his when she jumped back in surprise, hips meeting her behind and his chest bumping against her back as he and his brother laughed at her reaction. The ordeal had landed all three in detention for "canoodling in that classroom" and "being disruptive wastes of my time". The entire night of re-organizing the vials behind Snape's desk had been filled with the two of them getting dangerously closer and closer to her, almost as if they were competing to see who could get the best reaction. The award went to the more adventurous of the two of course, when Fred had trapped her between his arms while the two of them were alphabetizing the non-lethal ingredients, his lips brushing dangerously against the back of her neck as he chuckled at the high pitched squeak she emitted. And then they were always staring at her. She could look up in any class at any time and catch at least one of them looking at her with the annoyingly endearing grin on their face, the one that made her heart beat quicker and her hands shake.

She was snapped out of her daydreaming, which was not helping her situation, when she heard her name from across the hall. The word was soft, included in the conversation being held inside her bedroom. Ignoring the butterflies dancing in her stomach and the weakness in her legs, Josie quickly splashed cold water across her face and down her neck in an attempt to cool off before opening the door quietly and sneaking across the hallway. Cold painted wall pressed against her back as she nestled between two paintings of flowers that swayed in the wind, listening to what the twins were saying through her half opened doorway.

The sound of a drawer closing and someone sitting down on the bed made her wonder what they were doing in there, hoping they didn't find anything embarrassing. "Think we can really pull this off?" The deeper tones in the voice told her that was George, Fred's voice following soon after. "Of course we can, we can do anything. I don't think having a girlfriend is the most outrageous thing we've attempted." He chuckled, Josie leaning in farther to hear more when she realized they were talking about her. "I know we can, we've already talked about that. I'm worried about her." "Why, think she likes me more?" The wave of pride was felt even outside the room, blue eyes rolling at his ego. Something hard hit the floor, most likely one of her books being sent in Fred's direction by his twin. "I'm being serious you sod, think of what this might do to her."

After a long silence she heard Fred sigh softly, his tone suddenly serious. "What do you mean? I care about her; I'm not going to let anything happen to her. Are you?" "Of course not, I'm not saying that we're going to do anything wrong. We've agreed to not get jealous of each other, we've shared since we were kids, and we can do it now. I'm worried that she's going to feel torn between us, or that she'll start to like one more than the other, and feel obligated to stay with both." "Or that she's going to doubt herself and think she's not enough for the both of us." "Or that she see's us as a set, not individuals." Shuffling feet signified one of them sitting down on her bed, maybe next to the other one, both of their voices taking on an insecure tone. Hearing them be anything but happy placed a seed of guilt in Josie's heart, becoming buried deeper as the silence went on. It was broken a few moments later, their words lifting her spirits a bit. "I think that she's more than she gives herself credit for. She'll be fine, as long as we don't do anything stupid that makes her think she's less than…" "Wonderful?" "Exactly."

Josie felt torn, not sure how to feel about them talking about her without her knowing, but flattered that they were worried for the relationship the three of them had. They knew her well, some of their worries valid; she did doubt her ability to keep them both interested in her, as well as her ability to handle both of them. The thought that she didn't have enough romantic feelings inside her for the both of them haunted her, the idea of leaving one of them behind or hurting one of them more painful than anything she'd ever felt.

She was snapped from her thoughts when Fred began to speak again, his voice less than optimistic. "What if we both can't have her? It is a little strange right? One girl with two boys, brothers at that. Don't you think people are going to be unhappy, even go as far as reporting it or picking on her more than they already do?" There was a long pause, and Josie held her breath so they wouldn't know she was outside the door. "Fred, have we ever really cared what people think? And do you doubt that she can't hold her own? You heard what she said to her grandmother, and to Flint. She's gotten more confident, and she's stronger than the cute little French girl we talked to at the beginning of the year. She's still Josie, just the one she can really be deep down. "

The room was quiet for a few moments, the only sound was one of them standing again and then the sound of her things moving, followed by Jones mewing softly as the bed shifted. Josie took this time as a signal to go in, pushing the door open the rest of the way and stepping into the room. The twins looked up at her, her blue eyes scanning over the room as Fred shut a drawer behind his back in what he thought was a discreet manner. Another tiny mew drew her attention to the ball of fur that was curled into the other twin's lap, disturbed from his nap when George moved to pull off his sweater. It took Josie a second of looking between the two of them, the drawer Fred had closed, and the mess of books and cd's laying across her bed for her to realize what they had been doing.

"Were you going through my things?" The question hung in the air for a minute before the two gingers grinned, shrugging their shoulders. "Just your most personal items. You have some very cute undergarments by the way." George said with a wink, chuckling when her face went scarlet with anger and embarrassment. She didn't get the chance to open her mouth to yell at them, Fred wrapping an arm around her waist and spinning her as George stopped laughing and clarified. "Just joking." "Mostly." Fred added in her ear, sending a shudder down her spine. "We were mostly going through your odd collection of… things." Fred let go of her waist and sat on the rounded bed next to George, picking up a few cd's and looking through them.

"Let me guess? You've never heard of any of these because they're not from the wizarding world." Her voice was shaky as she sat at the head of her bed, picking up the old books off the bed and stacking them on her bedside table. Fred was flipping through her cd's as George gently tried to nudge Jones out of his lap. The plastic shiny cases caught her eyes as they landed on the bed. ABBA, Nirvana, Roxette, Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, The Beatles, The Cranberries, Alphaville, Weird Sisters, Billy Joel, Bewitched, UB40, Kansas, David Bowie, the list went on and on. Not music Josie thought really fit her outer appearance, but what she liked none the less. Fred set the ones he recognized aside, looking through the one's he did not. "Are these all muggle?" He asked, holding up the leftover disks and nodding his head towards the posters on her walls. Well, the ones who weren't moving. "Yeah, of course." She answered, tucking her legs under her. The two boys looked at each other. "Dad would flip his lid." They said together.

After a long while of Josie explaining the films and bands she had posters for, the conversation changed direction when George noticed the scribbles that peeked out from behind the lamp in the corner and jumped off the bed to get a closer look. "What's that?" The sudden movement made Josie jump a bit, in turn making Fred jolt, his head resting on her thighs as he threw a small sparkling ball repeatedly into the air. All three sets of eyes shifted to the bright blue paint splattered one the otherwise bright white walls of her room, hidden in the shadows under the light. Fred got up quickly, crouching down in the corner to inspect the smears. The bed creaked as Josie shifted to lay across it on her back, watching the twins upside down. " I drew those when I was little. I got into mothers paints and decided I wanted to be creative like her. " Her explanation was met with slight nods of their heads, the two gingers bent down in front of the crude drawing of a blue butterfly and flowers, glittery silver firework streaks barely visible.

"Its cute." George grinned, standing up to look at her. "She's cute." Fred added, still looking at the doodles. "Sure." She said softly, drawing out the vowels sarcastically, obviously not agreeing with the two on that statement. Suddenly Fred was leaning over her body, his arms braced on either side of her shoulders as he looked down at her, his grin upside down in her vision. His eyes flickered over her, lingering on her chest. Did he just… George sat down beside her before her question could be finished, his weight sinking the bed down as he leaned on his arm. Her eyes flicked to him in time to catch the end of him glancing over her hips and stomach to smile at her. Did they both just...no, of course not.

She took the situation in; feeling a bit helpless with Fred leaning over her like that, ginger hair falling around his face as he watched her run her eyes over his arms, the muscles flexed from holding up his weight. Her stomach went into knots, a tingle running down her spine to the tips of her toes when he went suddenly serious, even though the expression was obviously playful. "I thought we said not to talk bad about yourself or else." He said simply. "Technically you said that if I suggested that I weighted too much that you would turn my skin green." Josie stuttered, biting her lip after she finished talking. "Well not accepting that you're beautiful counts as well." "But the punishment is different." Fred added after his brother, his voice dropping in pitch enough to send a steady throb into her lower half. This was not going to end well.

George grabbed her, fingers brushing against her sides as she broke out into a fit of laughter, Fred going for her ribs and below her arms while George abused her stomach until she could barely breathe between giggles. Squirming out of their grip, she hit the ground running, taking off out the front door and down the stairs with the sound of bare feet thudding against metal accompanying her. She could hear the twins behind her, taking the steps two at a time. Strong arms wrapped around her, George picking her up around her waist to turn her around, but Josie caught him off balance and slipped downward out of his grip. She could hear the twins curse as they got caught up on each other, her hands meeting the door to into the alleyway as she cold air blew around her. She was halfway down the street, swerving in and out between the witches and wizards who glared at her in annoyance before getting out of the way of the two ginger haired bludgers barreling after her when she finally slowed down.

She was lifted up by Fred, his arms tucking themselves behind her knees and around her waist. She shrieked in surprise, her yelp dissolving into a fit of giggles as he spun her around. George caught up with them, poking her ribs to her squirm in Fred's arms enough to make the two boys chuckle. People stared as Fred pressed his lips firmly against hers, kissing her deeply as he set her feet back down on the ground. They broke apart a few seconds later, Fred's hand pressed into the small of her back as hers rests on his biceps. The looks they got for being so affectionate in the middle of the street were cold enough to freeze dragon fire, but Josie felt nothing but their warmth. She floated on air as George took her hand and led her back inside out of the cold, Fred's hand still resting on her back. Josie didn't care what anyone thought of them at that moment.

She only cared about them.


	21. Lets Dance For A While

The three teenagers sat submerged in the sweet aroma of the pastry shop, Josie sipping on hot chocolate as they shared a custom box of her favorite sweets, made special for her and her guests. They had been sitting in the shop for a couple of hours, watching through the window as people passed by and making comments about them. George was finishing off a palmier as Fred described the distinguished life as a Pixie breeder of the bearded bachelor who walked past them, Josie sputtering into her drink. She left them moments later to get the three of them more to drink, handing the empty cups to Marius, one half of the wizard duo that owned the shop.

"Already finished? Those two eat more than your father, but that's not saying much." He muttered in French, refilling their cups. "Maybe it's just Fonteir's baking skills." She replied, watching as he shook fresh whipped cream before dispensing it over the drinks steaming surface. The deep brown eyes of the shop owner glanced at the slicked black hair of his partner peeking over the window into the bakery, a smile working its way onto his lips. Marius turned back to her, glancing at the two twins finishing off the box that once held friands, jesuites, crostades, macaroons, madelines, caneles, and many different éclairs. "If you need any more of those let me know, I'd be glad to give you whatever you'd like. He's been baking non-stop, the holidays make him so stressed." "No thank you, I'm not up to fight George for the hazelnut éclairs again." She smiled, tilting her head as he drizzled chocolate over the cream, making a decorative heart on all three.

The raise of Josie's brow was returned with a sly grin from Marius. "It's not that hard to tell, you're head over heels for the both of them. You're practically jumping into their lap every time they give you…" His eyes glanced at the table at which they sat, a smirk tugging up the left corner of his mouth. "…that look." Josie glanced over her shoulder at the two of them, finding both of them watching her, chins in their hands as their elbows rested on the table. They were grinning in that endearing way they usually did, both winking at her when she met their eyes. Josie turned back around, her face scarlet. With a glance up at Marius she picked up the three cups of hot chocolate on a tray, muttering a thank you. "They sure are cute though." She heard him mutter as she went back to the table, setting the tray down before tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Any other interesting people pass by?" She asked after clearing her throat. "Well there was one beautiful girl at the counter a minute ago." Fred grinned, nodding his head towards the place she had been standing seconds ago. Ignoring her heart picking up speed in her chest, she sipped at the liquid chocolate and looked at him from over the rim of the cup. "Maybe you should get her address so you can send an owl." She said simply, setting her drink back on the table and setting her chin in her hands. "I would but I saw her walk over to two devilishly hansom boys. Shouldn't ruin a good thing." He added, chuckling at her response. Josie snorted, grinning at the two of them while she playfully rolled her eyes.

After another round of people watching, where Josie told a very extensive story of a pig nosed blonde woman who fell down the stairs chasing after her lover and disfigured her face forever, along with George who narrated a love story between the two witches that had run into each other in the street, the three of them went back up to the apartment. Jones met them at the door, mewing loudly as he clawed up Georges tan corduroys. The twins settled themselves into looking around the apartment, Fred running his fingers over the console piano and pressing a key experimentally. "Who plays?" he asked as she moved to stand next to him, leaning her head against his shoulder as he haphazardly pressed the keys. "My father. I can play, kind of, but mostly him." She answered, watching his fingers prod at the ivory. George appeared and stood next to her moments later, setting Jones on the piano seat as he wrapped an arm around her waist. The tabby jumped onto the keys, batting at Fred's fingers before jumping up to sit next to Georgettes favorite perch, the owl hooting softly with a flutter of wings.

"You should play something." George commented, turning his head to smile down at her with his brother. "I'm not that great, it would be a wa-""Let us judge, you're too critical of yourself." She sighed, sitting down on the small padded bench. "If I suck then tell me to stop." She said quietly, watching Jones's tail swing back and forth as she started to play. She played the first song her father had taught her, his favorite song for her when she was little. Hey Jude flowed from her finger tips, softly playing the melody coined by The Beatles as they watched her, their gaze burning into the back of her neck. She stopped not long after she started, placing her hands in her lap shyly. She only looked up when Fred sat next to her, straddling the bench and pulling her into him as George sat next to her on the opposite side. "Stop that." Fred said sternly, wrapping his arms around her. "Stop what?" she asked softly, laying her head against his chest. "Stop thinking that you're less than wonderful." A smile twitched at her lips as she wrapped an arm around his waist and held her hand out to George, who took it between warm fingers and squeezed it gently. She had begun to say something when the door opened and her mother walked in, carrying bags of groceries that George quickly got up to help with. Josie had to wriggle her way out of Fred's grasp, following her mother into the kitchen as she babbled about her adventures buying groceries for dinner.

After an eventful dinner during which her father talked about an elderly witch that had shown her rainbow shifting bloomers to a group of muggle boys and made teapots float around their heads, Fred told of all the weird happenings during Quidditch games at Hogwarts, Josie told about the first time they snuck into Honeydukes, and Jones stole pieces of cheese off Georges plate from his lap, the group took their desert into the living room. Andre lit the fire as her mother curled her legs under her by the fire and the teenagers squished together on the couch. The radio was turned on soon afterwards, the music playing in the background as they finished scraping the cream from their plates and continued talking about her father's job at Frances branch of the ministry. Josie was nested between the two redheaded houseguests, their arms slung across the couch behind her as they snuck glances when her father wasn't looking. He didn't need to know about the three of them just yet. Josie jumped quite violently when her father yelled about the time his coworker had obliterated the wrong persons memory, wiping the memories of the witch rather than the muggle. His loud roar of a voice surprised her so much she almost wound up in Georges lap, and she felt her face heat up when he chuckled, his body close enough that the action blew air across the back of her ear. Her father missed the shudder that rolled down her spine and the look she sent George's way, the melody playing from the radio catching his attention.

Andre and Delephine shared a look before the prior stood up and took the latter's hand, pulling her from her seat and twirling her as the song's first verse started. Josie felt confusion radiating from either side of her as she leaned back into them. "This is "their song"." She clarified, using her fingers in quotations appropriately. "What's it called?" Fred asked quietly, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Uptown Girl, by Billy Joel." She replied, watching her father twirl her embarrassed, flushing mother with a grin. "It's a rule; they have to dance to it whenever it comes on." The three watched, Josie admiring her mother's hair and skirt as it flowed around her gracefully. "Your parents are cool." The twins said together, causing Josie to snort with laughter. "I guess, they've always been like this. I'm used to it."

After a moment of silence, the cushion beside her shifted as George stood, taking her hand and pulling her off the couch. His brother watched with a small smirk as George held out his other hand with a raised brow, and Josie understood what he was doing after a moment of blinking at him in confusion. "You've got to be kidding." She said through a laugh, looking up at him questioningly. "Nope." "Can you even dance?" "Why don't you find out?" Reluctantly, she took his other hand, blushing when he pulled her closer. "I'm terrible at these fast paced songs." Josie muttered. "You're probably a lot better than I am; I've only danced with Ginny and that git."

Josie giggled as he spun her around after gesturing towards his brother, and she swore she caught a glimpse of her mother watching them with a grin as they danced. She looked up at the red-headed boy in front of her, the one who looked back down at her with that devious grin that indented his freckled cheeks with dimples and made her stomach churn nervously. He wasn't half bad at dancing, maybe a little off tempo sometimes but he danced with her like he did it every day, no worry or apprehension appearing in his features when he tugged her closer. She could feel the moisture build up between their hands, but she couldn't tell whose hand was clamming up with nervousness. It had to be hers; George was far too sure of himself and outgoing for something like that. The notion was soon forgotten when he spun her around, perhaps one too many times, and she was stopped in front of Fred. The second Weasley twin bowed deeply and held his hand out to her with an over dramatic flourish, causing Josie to giggle as she took it. He yanked her to him, her chest bumping into his, a small squeak pushed into her throat by the impact.

Fred was obviously much less restrained than George. Anyone who knew them personally would warn you of this in hushed tones shortly after introducing him to you. Fred Weasley wasted no time in swinging her around to the rhythm, Josie almost tripping over her own feet due to his enthusiasm. She was trained to dance traditionally, the lessons paid for by her grandmother for the time she was 10 to the time she was 13. But traditional training only taught her traditional dancing. Josie was better prepared for ballroom dancing than for the swing her mother and father exhibited, or the playful casual dancing Fred knew. So, instead of keeping to the latest trend of breaking away from the mannerisms engraved into her brain, she fell into them once again and let him lead. She was picked up off her feet, his forearm tucking under her behind as he lifted her up, her weight supported against his chest as he spun her around.

The five people danced through a number of songs, Josie shuffled back and forth between the twins through each melody until the night had completely arrived and covered the town in pitch black. The twins had to leave as the fifth song came to its end, Andre turning the radio down and ushering them towards the door. Josie walked with them down to the alleyway while her father helped her mother clean up dinner quickly, a plot her mother surely made to allow them time alone. They stood at the bottom of the stairs; Josie's striped socks contrasting against the dark metal as they glanced between each other. In a moment of bravery, she leaned forward and kissed both of their cheeks, resting her head on their shoulders afterwards to hide her embarrassment and hugging them tightly.

Her chest tightened, anxiety crawling up her ribcage to choke her and prick tears into her eyes as the silence throbbed around them, the realization that she wasn't going to see them again until after the New Year hitting her like a rogue bludger. Josie's eyes were drawn from the cold floor when two hands, each belonging to a different twin, chased away the sadness creeping into her, cupping her cheeks and tilting her face upwards so they both could kiss her gently on each cheek. Their lips sparked fire under her skin, her cheeks flushing dark pink as they pulled away just as her father opened the door on the landing.

"See you at Kings Cross." She stuttered softly, smiling as her father shook the stairs with massive steps as he came down. "See you soon." They said in unison, winking at her as they turned and followed after her father. It wasn't until she was curled up under her comforter with damp hair and puffy eyes, Fred's scarf and George's sweater keeping her warm as Jones pawed at the pillow next to her that she realized the ritual the three had begun, never saying goodbye, always parting with "See you soon". The notion bounced around her mind as she drifted into sleep, replaying the day as she fell into dreams of misadventures at the castle. One thought echoed as she slipped into unconsciousness.  
Soon, was not soon enough.


	22. What Lies Waiting Down The Line

Josie woke up at exactly nine thirty every morning with a throbbing headache for the days after the twins left. Each day was spent helping with house work, shopping around with her mother, or laying in her room reading while listening to music. She had been in a constant state of melancholy since the twins went home, their visit leaving her feeling empty rather than joyful. Delephine upon noticing this had compared it to when she stopped eating chocolate. She gave chocolate a clean break, telling herself she was giving it up for days before she actually did. The craving for it was there, she missed it, but it wasn't overwhelming and she could find other things to fill her urges. But then she told herself she was going to have some chocolate soufflé on her birthday, and she looked forward to it but wasn't obsessed with the idea. After she had eaten the chocolate, all she wanted afterwards was more. She craved it so intensely that she broke down and ate an entire chocolate cake a few days later. Josie had stared at her dumbfounded at the explanation, until her mother had clarified. "When you leave something you have strong emotion for the first break can be easy and you get used to not having it, until you get another taste of it that re-sparks the emotion and then it's all you want."

Josie was glad when she began to re-pack her bags with clothes new and old, making sure to have enough for the coming spring and the continuing winter. She dressed up on New Years day, not feeling the pressure to look perfect for this occasion. This holiday was spent at her aunts home, her family spending the day with her father's side of the family. Josie fit in much better with this side of her bloodline. It was the side that introduced her to Hogwarts, where her cousin Paxton called home, and generally was more accepting. Her father lugged her fully re-packed suitcase to the fireplace; her mother glaring at it, upset her daughter was leaving again. But it was easier for her to return to Kings Cross with her cousin than for her parents to make the long trip to London and then back home again.  
Dressed in a black long skirt, red blouse, boots and her hair braided into a band across the crown of her head, she followed after her father and mother through the floo after kissing Jones on the head and scratching his ear, Georgette hooting softly as the green flames surrounded them. When they died down and her feet touched the soot of the fireplace at the large country house, Josie was pulled into the arms of her aunt, crushed under her bosom. Her aunt Andrea, Andre's older sister, was adorned in a long flowing tunic and tall red boots, two things that matched her personality perfectly. Andrea was a very tall woman with a bright personality, and a very obvious child of the 70's. Her flowing blonde hair was parted very deeply down the middle, curls tumbling down and bouncing as she helped Josie to the guest bedroom, her father trailing behind them with the suitcase. The room she was led to was simple, a rustic wooden bed, peeling white dresser, and a large wall of windows with stained glass panels that flooded the room with color and tinted the flowers that rested on top of the dresser in a mosaic vase. After making sure she had her suitcase in the right place, she followed Andrea back down into the dining room.

Josie's aunt and her mother were two sides of the same coin, almost as if Delephine was meant to be part of their family all along. Each had a love for art and decorating, even though their tastes were much different. Andrea loved all things rustic, earthy and natural, while Delephine loved to be bold but elegant. Josie was left sitting somewhere in the middle; perhaps a ridge on the coin's edge. She watched them set the food for later on the large wooden table in the dining room, comparing the two in her head as they placed ornate plates on the red oak surface. Her mother with her chestnut hair, small elegant features, slim figure, short stature and dark eyes, and then her aunt with blonde wild curls, wide hips, towering height, thick brows, and dark eyelashes surrounding the bright blue eyes that passed through the Desmarias bloodline. Both of them had the striking beauty and strong personality, something Josie believed she had clearly missed when fishing through the gene pool.

It wasn't till hours later that the rest of the family arrived, and Josie was whipped back and forth between cousins, aunts and uncles that all wanted to know about her going to Hogwarts. She was saved by the arrival of Paxton and Emanuel, his father, both large blonde men crushing her in welcome bear hugs. "How's school? Is everyone treating you alright?" Emanuel asked as they sat on the staircase, away from the rest of the party. "Yeah, I mean…of course I have a few people teasing me, but it's much better than Beauxbatons. For me at least." The two spoke softly, Emanuel's deep voice rumbling the still air around them. Josie's uncle was a very quiet but clever man, saying nothing until knowing you and then showing all the charm and wit he had stuck to his sliver tongue. His short blonde hair always looked ruffled, Andre often joked that it was because he was so tall the wind was much wilder around his head due to his height. Emanuel was at least 6'7, wide shoulders and muscular arms balancing out the length of his body so he would not topple over if a strong breeze came by.

"Tell Paxton, he'll help. Where are you being bullied exactly?" He asked as they both watched the mentioned 6th year twirl a pretty girl with patchwork skin to the song on the radio. Paxton's bright green eyes crinkled with a grin, his father's matching set doing the same as his son dipped the girl and kissed her cheek. "Mostly the bathroom, I guess it's pretty easy to pick on someone in a place that's more secluded or when they're vulnerable. I stopped taking baths at regular times to avoid people. I used to be picked on in class, but my… friends have made sure that people don't bother me there." She replied, smiling at the memory of the twins bomb that had been placed in the desk of the rotten girls that teased her along with Marcus Flint, the wooden tops flying open in the middle of class and the two snotty Slytherins revealed as the smoke cleared to be covered in bright orange sludge. "Ask Paxton. Maybe he has a way to get around it." With a wink Emanuel got up and headed towards the kitchen, most likely to flirt with Andrea and sneak food off the party platters. Josie followed after him, and Paxton came in minutes later for drinks, his guest in tow.

It took a moment of Josie looking at them awkwardly for Paxton to realize what was wrong, stopping talking in hushed tones to his father to introduce them. "Oh! Josie, this is Lana, my girl-"Paxton's mother smacked him across the back of the head abruptly, causing him to stop in his tracks. Josie stood dumbfounded as he and his mother shared glances, Emanuel choked on chuckles in a corner, and the girl and Andrea high fived. "Fuck! Significant other, this is my significant other, Lana." Paxton was said quickly, obviously upset with himself as he raked a hand through blonde curls and set his chin on top of his partners head, holding them tight and muttering an apology. "Uhm….what's wrong with girlfriend?" Josie asked moments later, feeling a bit awkward in the tense atmosphere. "Well…I'm non-binary, and my preferred pronouns are gender neutral, like they or significant other…or significant otter." They said with a giggle, their speech slurred with a lisp from the metal braces on their teeth. Paxton had is nose buried in poofy dark curls, blonde streaks matching his own hair, and his hands intertwining with fingers of mixed skin tones. All of their skin was a mix of dark and fair, patches of both covering their body. Josie thought they were very pretty, and that the two older students seemed to fit together nicely.

The three Hogwarts students squeezed into a corner behind the food table close enough to eat what they wanted but far enough not to be in the way. Josie learned that Lana was a Hufflepuff, that they had been dating Paxton since the end of their 5th year, and that Lana's interesting skin color was caused by vitiligo. The teenagers had talked for a long while, Josie avoiding the subject of her self for as long as she possibly could. "Josie, is Hogwarts going alright?" Paxton's question made her wince, blue eyes looking up at his green pair. She could tell he was going to lead into something, the worried look on his face revealing his intention. "Its fine." "No bullies or anything?" "Not at a-" "I know about Flint and the girls in the bathroom." Josie sighed, rolling her eyes. "Its fine. My friends and I handled Flint."

Paxton smirked a bit, looking down his crooked nose at her. "I know. I heard Marcus ranting about it, and I know about what the Weasley's did to those two girls. That's not what I'm worried about." Her ears started to burn with embarrassment, her eyes downcast. "The twins can't help you in the girls bathroom…at least, I hope they can't. Not exactly the best place for flirtatious advancement. " He chuckled, and Josie flushed as her eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah, I know. It's not hard to tell. I know how to tell when something is going on. I've been through it enough." "Well excuse me doctor love." Josie muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. "Anyway, about the girls in the bathroom. You could always use a different bathroom." "There is no different bathroom besides the ones out of the tower, and those aren't exactly meant to bathe in." "You could always use the prefect's bathroom." Paxton answered with a crooked grin.

Josie was stunned for a moment, not fully understanding what he was saying. She sighed deeply when she realized what he was insinuating. "And you could stop being a prefect if you let me in there." She said, leaning against the wall. "If you go in there at odd times, no-one is going to be in there. I'll just give you the password and you can use it as you please. But if anyone catches you and tries to get you in trouble, say you overheard some students talking about it. And make sure those students aren't me." Paxton offered, oozing with pride in his idea.

Josie thought about it. The idea wasn't a bad one, it was actually quite good. It was so good that Josie found herself slipping a piece of parchment with the password written on it into her school bag before scuttling back downstairs to watch it turn midnight. She watched the multiple couples pull their significant others into New Year kisses, Paxton picking Lana up and twirling her, Andre chastely kissing Delephine at the corner of the mouth, and she felt a pang of sadness inside her as she thought of the twins  
Hopefully they would stick around long enough for her to receive a dual kiss next year.


	23. If You Want To Play

The morning Josie was to head back to Hogwarts was a whirlwind. The stained light filtered in through the windows into the guest bedroom as the sun rose into the sky, Josie already wide awake, showed and dressed to leave, her uniform packed in her school bag and Georgette in her cage. She double checked that her gifts from New Year's that she was taking with her were all in her suitcase, looking under the bed in case one of the cards from her chocolate frogs had fallen. She gave all of them she got to the twins, and all the ones they had no use for to their younger brother, Ron.

Paxton ate a very large breakfast, while Josie ate nothing at all, her stomach fluttering from nervousness. Andrea packed Paxton and Josie large sandwiches for lunch on the way there, making sure to give Josie an apple in case she got hungry before then due to her lack of breakfast. Emanuel made sure both students had everything they needed, slipping an extra six galleons into each of their pockets when his wife wasn't looking. One by one they filed into the fireplace, each disappearing to Diagon Alley. Paxton went first, followed by Emanuel, leaving the two women in the living room together. Josie was just about to grab a handful of floo power when Andrea caught her arm, sets of blue eyes meeting as Andrea's red lips turned into a smile.

"Josephine, I'm very proud of you. I've been begging Andre to send you to Hogwarts since you were eight. Paxton says that the school was in a hushed uproar when you transferred, but I suppose that's just how teenagers are when something new shows up." She said, Josie looking at the ground awkwardly. She felt Andrea crouch down, back into view, and averted her eyes. She wasn't in the mood for a heart to heart at the moment; her heart was longing to be somewhere else. "Keep them in an uproar. As soon as thoughts of you disappear from their minds, kick them in the face with something fantastically new." Josie looked up at her aunt at this, smiling a little bit. "You have every reason to be important, and you have it in you to be the first spark of the fireworks soon to come." She smiled and patted her hand, returning to her towering height to nudge Josie into the fireplace. "By the way, the Weasley twins are a good choice. Paxton ranted about them for days when the kicked his ass in their first Quidditch match." With that, Josie disappeared into the green flames, cheeks pink with embarrassment. Her mother was going to get an earful...or at least a very long and strongly worded letter.

The four ran into Florrish and Blots to grab extra quills and parchment before arriving at Kings Cross with a half-hour to spare, grabbing warm drinks at a muggle café before heading through the barrier. Josie handed her suitcase and Georgette's cage off to be put into the storage cars, and stood against the wall with Paxton and his family to wait. Lana appeared soon after they settled their backs against the bricks, followed by their parents. Lana's parents quickly fell into a conversation with Andrea, talking excitedly about their children and the latest news. Their significant other wrapped his arms around Lana, shoving his hands into the pockets of their ripped jeans and setting his chin on top of their head. Josie shrunk into the wall, holding her bag close to her and watching the crowd. Soon enough she was nudged into the crowd towards the train, Emanuel hugging her tight and Andrea kissing her cheeks before wishing her goodbye. She hadn't seen any of her friends at all, so she climbed onto the train behind Paxton, moving through the cars until she found someone familiar. When stepping into one of the back cars, she immediately heard Lee Jordan's voice yelling excitedly down the hallway. She smiled, holding herself steady as the train jerked to a start before she headed towards the sound. Josie stopped when she could hear what they were talking about, not being able to help herself from listening when she heard them mention a "her".

"You were right there and you didn't do anything! What the FUCK is wrong with you? Did you have any contact at all, or did you don your cornette's and revert back to abstinence? Hot girl, plus boys she likes, minus supervision, should equal SOMETHING." Lee was yelling, obviously annoyed with someone. Josie had a feeling they were talking about her, but wasn't sure what Lee was fully implying. She decided to go in and save the poor souls she knew were in there, stepping into view and sliding open the door. Lee Jordan looked at her with wide eyes, clamping his mouth shut in the middle of an obscenity before looking at the twins. Fred and George were almost in the floor laughing, hollering about the hilarious look on Lee's face. She waited until they calmed down to sit herself in between them, the thought of what their conversation had been punted from her mind as the twins went into the very detailed story of how they covered Percy's entire room with wrapping paper and hidden his glasses under it somewhere in the room. She thought she caught the twins rake their eyes over her, from her red flats and dark tights to her cream knit sweater, but her mind was surely playing tricks on her. They wouldn't do that, they're not as desperate for contact as I am.

The four friends arrived back at Hogwarts hours later, after a ride consisting of much talking, Lee getting every bad Bertie Botts Bean in a row, the twins stuffing the chocolate frog cards they didn't want into a box to explode onto Ron, and Josie falling asleep on Fred's shoulder. She woke up to her stomach growling painfully, having forgotten to eat her lunch due to excitement. "I think our girlfriend is half dragon Georgie." Fred said jokingly as they got up to change into their uniforms, Josie's stomach growling loudly as she stood up. Lee disappeared after going into the next car to change, leaving to chase after the sweets trolley, and letting the three of them have time alone.

"If you don't get over here I'm going to breath fire." She muttered, grabbing Fred by his shirt. She faltered when his eyebrows raised in surprise, stopping short of yanking him down to release the pent up desire she'd had to be around them. Doubt tickled her mind, her palms becoming damp with nerves. She felt his breath of laughter under her knuckles, his head tilting as her towered over her. "Well, go on then." He said softly, his voice dropping in pitch like it always did when he got more excited or devious than usual. Josie's stomach twisted, a spark tingling its way through every nerve and her heart picking up in rhythm. He was challenging her, and she was accepting it. She fisted her hands in his sweater and pulled him down to meet her lips, kissing him deeply enough to clash her teeth against his, a soft whimper crawling up her throat. Seconds later she was turning into George's chest and taking his jaw between her fingers to crush her lips into his. He grunted softly, triggering a very quiet moan from her as she caught his lips between hers. They broke apart moments later, Fred and George trapping her between them long enough for them to gruffly mutter "You should do that more often." Before leaving her alone in the cabin to change like the gentlemen they are.

Josie was shocked; the gravity of what she had just done settling in her mind as she flushed scarlet and sat on the seat to take a second to slow down her breathing and allow the throbbing in her pelvis to die down. She quickly changed into her uniform, folding her clothes and tucking them into her bag as the boys walked back in. Lee came back with caldron cakes for each of them, Josie almost tackling him in joy because he got her something to eat, the sandwich and apple forgotten in her bag until after dinner that night when it was eaten while finishing an essay she had forgotten in the wee hours of the morning.

A week or so later they had fallen back into their normal behavior, the twins back at Quidditch practice, Josie back to watching them, and all four of them back to being buried in homework most nights. The argument she had overheard Lee having with the twins began to dwell in her mind, the lack of physical contact between her and the twins worrying her. Maybe they're second guessing liking me. She thought one night when they had all gathered in the boy's dormitory, Josie sitting on the floor in front of Fred's bed as she finished deciphering ancient runes. Her mind was focused on her homework, wanting it get it done as soon as possible, but could not help but pick up the three boys in the room talking in hushed tones. Blue eyes glanced up at them, catching Lee's dark eyes as she quirked an eyebrow. He grinned innocently before returning to muttering something into Fred and Georges ears. Josie was lulled back into boredom when she went back to her work, hardly noticing Lee move to search around his bed.

"Oh bloody hell!" Lee's obscenity caused Josie to jump, nearly knocking over her ink well as she turned to look at him tear his bed apart. "I forgot one of my books in Lupin's classroom. If I don't finish that charms paper by tomorrow Flitwick is going to hang me from the chandelier by my toes." "Why don't you just borrow one of our books?" Josie asked, closing her ink well and standing up. "My paper is in my book!" Lee yelled, grabbing Georges arm. "I'm going to get it and George; you're coming with me so Filch doesn't catch me and skin me alive." With that and a confusingly pointed look at Fred, he disappeared out the door, dragging George behind him.

The air in the room became suddenly tense, and Josie could feel Fred's eyes boring into the back of her neck. Josie bent back down to roll up her Ancient Runes homework and place it back into her bag, glancing at Fred as she put away her quill and ink. He was looking down at one of his text books, long fingers rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as fiddled with his quill. Ginger hair swung into eyes that seemed to be staring at nothing, his brow furrowed and jaw tight. Caught up in admiring her boyfriend, Josie didn't realize he had raised his eyes to look at her, chuckling when he caught her staring. Josie realized too late that she had been found out, not having time to turn away blushing before he spoke.

"Hey, can you come help me with this?" She blinked, standing up slowly before moving to stand by his bed side, looking at his work. "What is it?" She asked softly, her hands folded behind her back. "Astrology, due tomorrow." "You know I'm terrible at Astrology." "You're loads better than I am." He replied with a grin, leaning back on his palms as she sat next to him. Tucking her hair behind her ear as she looked over his paper, she found he had already done all of the constellations assigned. "What exactly do you need help with?" she asked, turning to find him closer to her than before, her shoulder almost against his chest. "Just hoping you could help me see the stars more clearly. But perhaps I should be the one helping you see stars."

She was stuck on what was just said when he pressed his lips against hers, her eyes fluttering closed when he didn't pull away moments later, his lips moving slowly against hers as he shifted his work from his lap onto the bed. The skin at her waist dipped in as he gripped it, turning her body to press against his chest as he leaned into her and tilted his head to deepen the kiss. She had to pull away for air, her cheeks and lips flushed from exertion. Breathy laughter escaped her throat when she fully realized what he had said earlier, her brain catching up to his actions. "That was absolutely terrible." She muttered, giggling as she looked into his eyes. They burned back into hers, the corners crinkling as he grinned. "But it worked." He said as his tongue darted out to wet his lips as his eyes dropped to glance at hers, flushed and caught between her teeth. The look he gave her was enough to send fire down her spine to the tips of her toes and her heart to pick up rapidly. Her small hands gripped his tie and pulled him to her, her lips finding his. They kissed fiercely, Fred getting to his knees to lean over her. He pulled back when she was panting, breaking the kiss long enough to softly ask "Is this alright?" and hear her approval before crawling over her, his arms on either side of her shoulders and one of his thighs nestled between hers.

Her heart threatened to break out of her ribcage, beating so loudly that it thudded in her ears, almost drowning out the sound of their breath mixing. Her gasp broke through the rhythm as he ran his tongue over her lips before slipping it between them when they opened. He chuckled when she didn't react by moving her tongue against his, instead allowing him to have control. The shudder that ran though him when a soft moan vibrated the back of her throat only amplified the tingles that were running through each nerve she had. His hair tickled her cheeks as she sank further into his pillow, his weight shifting when he moved to set a hand on her hip, gripping it tightly as she flicked her tongue against his and slid her fingers up the back of his neck to tangle into his hair.

His chest flexed under her fingers when he pulled back, a trail of saliva linking their lips, broken when he smirked at her. Kissing her lips gently and tucking hair behind her ear, he set his forehead against hers and waited for his breathing to settle down. "I reckon they'll be coming back soon." He said softly, stroking his thumb across her jaw as they looked at each other. "Oui, I guess it has been quite a while." She answered, watching him sit up. She couldn't hardly move, blood rushing through her veins and a certain area of her body throbbing frustratingly.

Lee and George appeared minutes later, after Josie had sat up and fixed her clothing and hair, catching her and Fred in the middle of looking at each other admiringly, her face etched with the desire she was feeling. The three gathered their things, Josie's legs shaking as they headed out of the dormitory and up to the Astronomy tower for class.


	24. C'Mon Lets Play

Lee, Josie, Fred and George joined the rest of the 5th year Astronomy students on the walk to the tower, Fred and Lee talking excitedly about a prank involving milk, explosives, and frogs while Josie walked beside George. The four wandered behind the rest of the class, Josie mostly falling behind so she could catch her breath and hide her flushed cheeks. Guilt crawled into her when George slid his fingers in between hers to hold her hand. She wondered if George knew that Fred had had done that to her, not sure how far their twin telepathy traveled. Their relationship was going to be even if there was going to be a relationship at all; Josie could not stand the through of choosing one over the other. She liked them both, together and separately. Their differences kept her constantly guessing and allowed her to feel like she was interacting with individual human beings rather than this devious aura that most students called "the Weasley Twins" and only that. Fred was unpredictable, arrogant, acted without thinking, flirtatious, passionate. George was a bit tamer, gentler in nature, more rational, thinking through his actions before doing them, sweeter and more grounded than his brother. But both were devious, exciting, caring to those who need it, and talented in taking the spotlight. Josie liked each of them, finding comfort in their madness.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize that she and George had fallen far behind the rest of the students, now walking alone while the muttering of voices faded away. Her skin tingled as side of her hand was slowly stroked by his thumb, and Josie found George looking down at her when she turned her head. "Are you alright?" he asked softly, stopping in the middle of the hallway and stepping in front of her. Brown hair bounced as she nodded her eyes downcast towards their linked hands. George's feet came into view when he stepped closer to her, free fingers brushing a strand of hair off her cheek and tucking it behind her ear. "Should we catch up with them?" she asked as she raised her eyes, catching him looking down at her. She could have sworn his face fell a bit, the corner of his mouth twitching as he rubbed the back of his neck. He was about to open his mouth to speak when both of them recognized the sound of long, quick strides coming down the adjourning hallway.

It only took a second for the both of them to recognize the sound of Professor Snape's stalking, the two turning to look at each other. "It's Snape, he'll put us strait into detention if he catches us." Josie whispered quickly. "But we're going to class." "We're not with the group." George nodded with understanding as the footsteps grew closer, pulling her a nook in the wall behind a tapestry. Josie became squished between George's chest and the castle's stone wall, the fabric they hid behind billowing softly as their brooding professor strode past. They waited in silence until the footsteps disappeared, and Josie's heart began to race as she became aware of how close he was to her, her chest squished against his, the rhythm of their breathing becoming sync'd. After the echoes had faded it was Josie who went to move out of the small space first, but she found herself trapped in between the wall and George, his arms on each side of her body.

"I think we can leave now." She whispered, looking up at him. The height he had over her made it difficult, her bangs getting in the way of meeting his eye. Instead she trained her eyes on his lips, which turned up in a small smirk as he spoke. "Why would I want to do that?" Confusion twisted her features at his words. "Because we need to get to class?" she asked slowly, watching him. "But this is much more enjoyable." He muttered, voice dropping in pitch as he leaned closer to her, her eyes finally meeting his only to find them glinting deviously. Time slowed down around them as his lips met hers and his fingers brushed across the waist-band of her skirt before sliding into the small of her back, her body arching as George pulled Josie against him. He kissed her slowly, lips pressed firmly against hers, her eyes falling closed. Their pace quickened as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her in hopes that his warmth would stop the shivers that were running down her spine. "Is this okay?" he asked softly, his breath blowing across her lips as he pulled back slightly, only centimeters separating them. "Oui." Was her only reply, her voice breathy. He stared at her for a moment, analyzing her blue eyes for who-knows what. Josie was sure that he could see her nervousness, her admiration for him, but she hoped he couldn't see the desire she tried to keep hidden as much as possible.

He glanced over her, locking eyes with hers before crushing his lips back onto hers as their eyes fell closed, pressing her harder against the wall. She was glad he held her there, knowing she would have otherwise fallen when her knees went weak as he sucked at her bottom lip and slipped his tongue past her lips, taking advantage of their parting as a soft sound escaped her throat. His tongue flicked against hers, inviting hers to play as she gripped his sweater in her palms. Her blood rushed through every vein, the throbbing of her heart beat felt in every muscle. The groan that vibrated deep within his chest as she slid her fingers up his neck shook her core, the muscles there tightening painfully as she whimpered in frustration. Josie had fallen into the comfortable flow of desire, but her calm was broken when long fingers slid down her sides to grip the back of her thighs. Her nerves tingled, his warm skin burning hers through her thick tights as he lifted her, placing her thighs against his hips and pressing himself against her so she was trapped between him and the wall. She stopped breathing, frozen in shock as their bodies formed together, his tongue sliding over hers.

Her breath returned to her in a gasp as she felt the muscles in his body flex when he shifted her so he could wrap an arm around her waist. The feeling of his body so close to hers brought back all the images she kept locked in her deepest thoughts alongside the memory of seeing him shirtless for the first time. Now she was so close she could feel him, feel the lean muscle against her softer, shaking body and his breath as it became rougher. Her body was beginning to feel hot, inside and out, as he kissed her deeper from the new position. The two kissed for what felt like hours, gripping each other's bodies until the kiss was broken, George pulling back to gaze at his girlfriend, raggedly breathing and flushed. He set her down onto her feet slowly, holding her tightly in case her legs gave out.

Josie laid her forehead against his chest, the two of them standing in silence as they allowed themselves calm down. But their silence didn't last long, the tapestry pulled back abruptly, Professor Lupin finding the two teenagers wide eyed and shocked. Josie swore she caught him smiling, motioning them on their way. "I believe the astrology tower is that way Mr. Weasley." He said, the laugh in his voice contrasting his stern look. "Quite right, we must have gotten lost." George answered with a smirk, taking Josie's hand and pulling her out of the small space and down the hallway as he broke into a run.

They two reached the astronomy tower, George kissing her cheek gently and smiling at her before the entered, sitting in their spots seconds before the teacher began class. As he spoke, Josie felt her roommate's stare, glancing up into Marina's sea-green eyes to find a knowing look and a smile. Embarrassment tinted her cheeks, even though she knew the other girl couldn't possibly know the reason she was late. The sound of whispering next to her caused her to turn, finding George talking into Fred's ear, both of them wearing matching grins as the high fived quietly before turning to look at her. The devious glint in their eyes and playful smiles sent shivers down her spine, not helping the growing problem the two had caused. She hardly paid attention at all in class, something that would surely come back to bite her since she was already struggling. But her mind was elsewhere, lost in daydreams of ginger hair tickling her cheeks and freckled skin pressed against her own pale flesh. It wasn't until Lee dropped his Astronomy book in front of her that she snapped out of it, looking up to find him standing in front of her with a twin on each side, the rest of the class already gone. "Looks like you did a pretty good job, eh Georgie?" Fred said, nudging his brother in the side. "Had to, couldn't let a git like you be the main subject of her daydreams. " George responded. "Well judging by the dazed look in her eye your plan didn't work, obviously I was the focus." "Why not ask her yourself." Lee added, picking up his books and walking out the door.

Josie was in shock, looking up at the two of them. "Wait…did you two plan this?" She asked, slipping her book into her bag absent mindedly as she thought over what seemed to be going on. Lee yelling at them in the train, George and Lee leaving the room earlier, she and George falling behind everyone else on the way to class, it all seemed to fit. They had planned it. "To an extent." They said simply, grinning at her. She stood; jaw slack from shock as she stared at them. "You two are terrible." She muttered. "You love it." They said, voices dropping into that rough pitch that rattled between her thighs. After recovering from that moment she breathed a laugh, turning on her heel to walk out of the room, the twins trailing behind her.

They were halfway down the stairs when Fred spoke up. "Lee was who did the planning to get you alone with each of us, he was angry we didn't snog you silly when we were alone with you over the break." "Not that we didn't entertain the thought, it would just have been poor manners." She stumbled a bit, gripping the railing to keep her steady as her already unsteady legs lost their strength momentarily. "But" "And as you know" "we're perfect gentlemen." They finished together. She laughed, their humor lightening her tense mood. "Perfect, Oui. Gentlemen, maybe." She muttered to herself.

She was almost at the landing when Fred jumped the stairs and stepped in front of her, causing her to run into his chest. Her move to step back was blocked as Georges chest pressed against her back, the tenseness in her body returning as she flushed deep pink. "Angry with us?" They asked in unison, voices soft. She could hear the worry in their voice, Fred's eyes soft with concern. She smiled softly, shaking her head so her flipped hair swung. "Non, not at all." She sighed, tucking hair behind her cheek. "Good!" The twins planted matching kisses on each of her cheek, both of them sliding down the banister to the landing, back to their usual playful selves.

Josie smiled, her heart swelling with admiration as she watched them. Quite the opposite. She thought to herself, following after them quickly before they got too far ahead of her on their way back to Gryffindor Tower. She kissed them both sweetly in the empty common room, saying goodnight before disappearing into her room. She quickly changed into her pajamas, soon after sneaking away into the girl's bathroom to release the tension those two had caused as quickly and quietly as possible, the "ring" her mother sent her last semester glinting in her hand. As she closed and locked a stall door behind her, she found herself longing that they would someday learn to take responsibility for the frustration they caused her.


	25. What's New Pussycat

The next few weeks consisted of the three of significant others going to class, and Josie watching Quidditch practice as the team prepared for the match against Ravenclaw. But with each passing day the twins got more and more bold, seemingly trying to push her farther. During a conversation in the common room at an obscenely late hour one night, she found herself in Fred's lap, his arms around her waist as Lee continued the embarrassing conversation about why and how he got the twins to "make out" with her. Josie regretted asking why he would do such a thing, even if his commentary was amusing.

"When these two told me that they had gone to your house over Christmas break, and they DIDN'T make a move on you, I was pissed. I told them-"He cleared his throat. "She's dying to jump your bones but too bloody shy to do anything about it, so if you want it done you're going to have to do it yourselves." Josie felt her cheeks turn dark red, the heat spreading up to her ears in embarrassment. "So I made these two flip a coin to see who would do it first." "Oh thank you, I'm so glad to know the fate of my snogging virginity was decided with a galleon." Josie muttered, embarrassed and annoyed as she turned her head to hide in the crook of Fred's neck. Lee chuckled, leaning back in his chair as his cat jumped into his lap. Not that the cat was his in truth, but they had taken to calling it "Lee's cat" because it was always following him around and being affectionate towards him.

"It's better than us trying to beat each other to it." George's voice came from behind her as he gently ran his hands over her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her embarrassment. "Besides, we waited a while to see if it was a good time….well, we thought it was a good time." Fred added. Josie laughed lightly, straitening up and running her fingers through her hair nervously. "I'm not mad at you two if that's what you're worried about." She said softly. Lee perked up as the cat stretched up his chest, claws digging into his sweater before relaxing back again. Josie glanced at the wand she was rolling between her hands, the intricate detail pressing into her skin. "You're another story." She pointed her wand at him playfully, causing him to jerk back a bit and Fred to chuckle. "Next time I might turn that cat of yours into a lion, maybe it won't be so affectionate then." Her wand made a jabbing motion towards the cat for emphasis.

The room was suddenly filled with a loud popping noise, followed from a surprised yelp from Lee, both of which caused Josie to jump. She slid off Fred's lap and hit the cushion between the two twins, falling across George's legs. Josie looked up to find the sea-green eyes of the cat now surrounded by full lashes and tan skin. In Lee's lap sat a girl with layered thick hair, wide eyes, and a very short skirt, a girl that Josie quickly recognized as her dorm mate. Marina Moreno's eyes were as shocked as everyone else's, a deep red blush fanning across her cheeks as she scrambled off of Lee and up the stairs to the girl dormitory, the door to her dorm slamming behind her.

"What the HELL was that?" Lee asked shocked, his own cheeks a bit pink. "That…was my roommate." Josie answered slowly, confusion twinging her voice. Laughter erupted on either side of her, both twins turning a bit purple from lack of breath they were laughing so hard. Josie elbowed them hard in their sides, effectively quieting them down. "Why was she a cat?!" Lee yelled his voice cracking as he stared at the staircase to the girl's dorms. "I think she's an animagus…" Josie muttered softly, picking at her nails in nervousness. She didn't want to admit it because she was sure Marina was far further into the ocean of anxiety was she was.

"How could she be an animagus?" Fred asked through chuckles, running his hands through his hair and looking at Josie. "Well I guess...when do they teach you about animagi here?" "Third year" George answered Josie's question, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her up into his lap. Josie squeaked before continuing. "Well I guess if she really studied and had a little help she could become one in that time period." She said, thinking carefully as she chewed on her nail. "I guess…it would be really impressive." George said thoughtfully, setting his chin on her head. "Yeah, be impressed Lee." Fred said, chuckling. "What? Why me?" Lee asked, his voice still higher in pitch from shock. "She's been all over you mate, in cat form at least, it wouldn't be that far of a shot to assume you have an admirer." The realization hit Josie the same time it registered on Lee's face, a wide grin breaking his dark skin with pearly white teeth.

"Think she likes me?" He said, his ego inflating so extensively Josie thought he was going to lift off his seat. "I think it's a safe bet." Josie muttered rolling her eyes at him. "She's kind of….perverse though." She added, thinking of all the times she and her other roommates sat around late at night and talked about other students sexualities. "So is Lee when you're not around, so that's a pretty good match." Fred said, pulling her legs into his lap. "Wait, what?" Josie asked, looking between Fred and Lee. She felt a tug of jealousy in the pit of her stomach when she thought of Lee and the twins talking about other students like that.

Lee apparently saw what she was thinking and darted from the chair, to the stairs, and up them with a "Goodnight!" trailing behind him as he ran away from the oncoming conversation. "How do you know?" Josie asked, wrapping her arms around herself. "Well we've been friends for years." George said, squeezing her tighter. "And he's not exactly quiet now is he?" Fred added, turning his body towards her and gripping the back of her flannel covered legs. "So you three spent your free time lying around talking about girls like perverts." She said, her voice dropping to where it could hardly be heard. "Nope, only Lee talked about people like that, we didn't really join in until this year." Fred said, running his hand up and down her leg. "What changed?" she muttered, feeling George tense behind her when he realized she wasn't happy.

"You." They said simply, their voices syncing. Josie felt herself flush, looking up from her now bleeding cuticles to look at them. "What do you say?" "Nothing terribly revealing, remember we're perfect gentlemen." Josie rolled her eyes at George's statement, her confidence growing back to its original height. "Yes, because perfect gentlemen make arrangements to snog a girl out of her right mind." She joked, nudging him with her elbow. "It was that good eh?" he smirked, breath blowing across her neck as she went scarlet at what she had implied.  
George placed a finger under her chin to turn her into his kiss, lips gently meeting hers as she felt Fred shift beneath her legs. George kissed her slowly, pulling away moments later only to turn her head to meet Fred's lips, his twin pressing his lips against hers. He kissed her deeply, pulling back to grin at her before standing up, hand reaching for hers to help her off the couch. "Stop worrying; you're the only person we want to talk about with Lee." He said, kissing her forehead. "Now go to bed." George said from behind her, kissing her cheek before nudging her towards the girl's dormitory. "Go make sure your roommate hasn't died from embarrassment." She laughed, kissing the both on the cheek and walking towards the staircase. She was almost there when a thought hit her, causing her to turn before the two boys could enter their staircase.

"Did either of you two talk about…what happened, to anyone?" she asked shyly, biting her lip anxiously. She had been wondering if the two had talked about what each had done when they kissed her that night, and if they'd told Lee since he was so adamant about them doing it. They joked like they did, but she knew you could never be sure with those three boys. "What, you mean how Fred snogged you until you were breathless and squirming on his bed?" "And how George had you pinned against a castle wall so hard he felt your thighs twitch around his hips?" She was stunned at their answer, her face and chest burning with the flush that crept across her skin. "No, not a soul." They said together before darting up the stairs as fast as they could. Josie didn't know whether to chase them or faint from embarrassment. But with a yawn, she decided to settle on going to bed. She could get back at them in the morning, perhaps by taking advantage of the snow now falling outside her bedroom window.


	26. Baby Its Cold Outside

The next morning Josie rolled out of bed and began to dress for school. It wasn't until she was attempting to tie her tie that she realized it was a Saturday, which prompted her to rip off said tie and begin removing her uniform. Her roommates seemed to be all gone, so Josie stripped herself of her clothes near the furnace before changing into more comfortable, casual clothing for the day. It wasn't till she was far into attempting to button her corduroys over her stomach, which was bulging over the top of the thermal tights she had layered underneath, that she heard the soft patter of feet. Josie paused for a moment, blue eyes darting around the room before she pulled the dark red sweater her father gave her over her thermal top. Shoving thick sock'd feet into her boot, she bent down to grab its pair when she noticed the pair of sea-green cat eyes peering out from under her roommates bed, nearly hidden by the red curtains.

"Marina?" She asked softly, the cat ducking into the darkness with a soft mew. Josie sighed, pulling on her other boot before sitting on her bed to tie them. "Marina come out. It's just me."

A few minutes passed before the fluffy haired girl emerged in human form from the far side of her bed, and Josie assumed that she had transformed back on the other side of the curtains, out of her eye of sight. Peering from around one of the beds four posters, sea-green met pondi blue as they looked at each other, Josie breaking the long silence. "Marina I'm sorry, I really didn't know I wasn't trying to embarrass you." Her accent became thicker as she talked faster from nervousness, her lip becoming caught between her teeth. She watched Marina's brain turn as she tried to keep up, her face softening a bit as she stepped out from behind the bed. "I'm not mad at you Josie, I know you had no idea." She moved to sit on the bed next to her, her hip bumping into Josie's through her candy colored sleep pants. "Are you sure?" "Yeah. I'm upset sure, but you had no idea I was an animagus, no-one knows except for my parents and a couple of teachers. I'm more upset that Lee found out it was me."

They fell silent for a few moments, the only sound Josie's boots squeaking as she shifted her feet. "So…I'm guessing you have a thing for Lee Jordan?" Josie asked in an attempt to lighten the mood. Marina laughed, nodding her head. "Oh yeah," she said, drawing out the syllables. "For quite a while now." Silence once again covered the room. "He took it pretty well to be honest. He was a bit shocked but then sobered up when Fred mentioned that you may like him." Josie said softly, watching as Marina's cheeks turned a bit pink. "Of course he did, any guy would be flattered, but I doubt the idea of someone nearly stalking him is…endearing." "You never know; Lee's kind of a character." Josie trailed off, rolling ideas of what to say next around in her brain. "You two may actually get along quite well." Marina said nothing afterwards, instead staring at her hands with a small smile on her face.

Josie took his as an invitation to leave, shoving gloves, scarf and mittens into her back before draping her coat over her arm. Heavy black boots thudded on the wooden floor as she headed for the door, turning as she opened it to look back at Marina. "Why don't you sit with us at lunch, tomorrow or whenever you feel ready? You don't have to," she paused watching her as she raised her head. "It's just a suggestion." Marina nodded slowly, curly bangs falling in her face. "Hey Josephine?" the use of her real name made her stop in her tracks as she moved out the door. "Thanks." "You're welcome" She replied, smiling brightly. "Oh, by the way," "Yeah?" Marina grinned a mischievous Cheshire cat grin. "You have really nice tits." Josie turned scarlet, stuttering a bit before leaving the animagus, a soft laugh following her as she disappeared out the door and down the staircase.

She was halfway down the staircase leading to breakfast when a snowball whizzed past the tip of her nose and broke her flustered train of thought. The frozen ball curved impressively down and to the left, hitting a tall and dark third year Slytherin in the middle of his forehead. Josie watched as a dark haired Slytherin girl in very tight jeans and a fraying grey sweater doubled over laughing, recognizing her as the girl that had stood up from her in the bathroom against another Slytherin girl during an incident in the fall. Josie quickly walked the rest of the way down the stairs and ducked into the Great Hall, avoiding the oncoming storm signaled by the boy yelling the girl's name, Charlie. She quickly slid into a seat next to Angelina and Alicia, the only other people she knew well enough to talk to besides the twins and Lee, all three of whom were missing. After quickly eating some toast with jam and some scrambled eggs with tomato, she got up and wandered around the castle.

Josie enjoyed the short time by herself, wandering around the castle and enjoying her free time. Even with the creeping worry that the twins had gotten themselves into trouble and knowledge that she had a paper due Monday morning, her feet continued to wander up and down corridors. It wasn't long that she found a small hidden passage beneath a staircase, slipping into the low and narrow space. One thing that never bothered Josie was enclosed spaces; she preferred them to wide-open ones. Her hands brushed rough stone as she moved towards the soft light steaming from the opening at the end of the tunnel. When she did find the lights source, her boots crushed snow, the sound confusing as she blinked into the light. When her vision cleared, Josie found herself in a small area, castle walls on all four sides, and an open roof. A small overgrown garden with a stone bench was covered with snow, the white powder falling from above. Despite the snow, the area was warmer than where she had come from, the surrounding high walls blocking the wind chill.  
A small smile crept onto her mouth as she looked around her newfound "secret garden", making sure to memorize where she found it before leaving, sneaking out of the small hole in the wall after a large group of Hufflepuff Quidditch players walked by, heading in the opposite direction. Josie was about to head back to the common room when she heard the all too familiar yell of her boyfriend. The low-pitched voice of George Weasley echoed off the walls, beckoning Josie to trace it to its source. She followed the sound, finding herself stepping out into the snow between the castle and the Quidditch pitch, narrowly escaping a barrage of snowballs by ducking behind the door.

Lee Jordan had been tricked into a two-against-one snowball fight, both Weasley twins mercilessly pelting him with snowballs. He found refuge when Josie called out to them, slipping on her jacket as she walked towards them. "So this is where you've been." She said as she wrapped her arms around George's waist, hugging him good morning as Fred ran up the hill. All three boys were flushed from physical activity and the cold, George's hard breath blowing in visible puffs from his lips. Fred joined the group, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Care to join us madam?" He asked playfully. "I can't keep up with either of you and you know it." She replied, slipping on her gloves to keep her fingers from tingling in the cold. Fred slipped her bag off her shoulder, setting it down next to what she assumed was Lee's bag and coat. "Neither can Lee, but he's out here. " George said, earning a hard elbowing in the side from Lee. "We could pick teams." The twins said together, and the idea was quickly accepted.

"I call the good looking one." Fred said, nudging his brother with his shoulder. "Sorry Freddie but we can't be on the same team." George replied, nudging him harder back. Josie snorted in laughter, but blushed when Fred grabbed her hand and she realized he had meant her. "You always pick first." George teased. "Yeah, cause you don't act on it first!" Fred called back as he dragged Josie over to a small pile of snow, which she guessed was a protective barrier of some sort. Each team hurriedly made piles of snowballs, Fred grinning widely at Josie as they waited for Lee to call go. As he started the count down, Fred suddenly leaned over and kissed Josie softly. She was speechless, her heart thudding in her chest. She was so dazed she barely recognized that Lee's booming voice had yelled "Go!". But she quickly recovered, a nudge from the ginger next to her breaking her spell so she could grab snow balls and throw them as hard as she could in Lee and George's direction.

The four battled for a long while. It was a very brutal battle, with many casualties. Josie ended up with snow down her jacket, Lee lost his earmuffs, and Fred's hat was knocked off his head. Luckily, Josie had landed a few good hits, one of her snowballs hitting George in the cheek and causing a large red mark. Lee surrendered, claiming he couldn't feel his feet anymore and that his fingers were turning blue. The four teenagers all stood from their barracks, heading towards the middle to draw a truce. But of course, there had to be an anarchist.

Fred took a running start off their snow barrier and launched himself over Josie's head, the tip of his sneakers mere inches from the top of her head, and landed right in front of Lee just in time to shove the last snowball down the front of his sweater. Josie and George fell into a fit of giggles as Lee took off running after the long legged beater up the hill, kicking snow up behind him. Her blue eyes fell on George's stung cheek, her face falling a bit when she realized she might have hurt him. "Are you alright?" She asked softly, pressing her gloved fingers against the skin gently. He smiled, turning his head to kiss her fingers gently before taking her hand. "It's fine. It's probably just red from the cold." She nodded, watching Fred come back down the hill towards them, her back in hand, and noticing Lee heading back towards the castle. "What's up with him?" George asked, nodding his head towards the retreating Gryffindor. "He's tired, which is code for pissed I beat him." Fred responded, yelling the last part loud enough for Lee to hear. And it was obvious he heard him, because he raised an obscene gesture in their direction.

After a minute of laughter, Josie remembered the promise she had made to herself last night. She suddenly grabbed George's hat off his head and took off running, grabbing Fred's fallen hat off the ground. She successful filled them both with snow by the time they caught up to her both of their faces confused. "What was that about?" Fred asked, tilting his head at her. "Oh, just being playful." She answered innocently, pouting her lips and rocking back on her heels. "Did you get hit in the head by a hunk of ice?" George asked, chuckling at her. "Non." She pulled their icy hats onto their heads and over their ears one after the other, as quickly as she possibly could so she could take off running again. Josie's muscles and lungs burned from the cold air and physical exertion as she called behind her. "But you did!"


	27. Body Like An Hourglass

The three ended up in the twin's room, Lee no-where to be seen as they sprawled across the floor. Josie had grabbed a pair of jeans from her dorm, where Marina was still hiding out, and the three had striped out of their wet, snow soaked clothes. As if the snowball fight and Josie's joke hadn't been enough, the twins had taken off after her and tackled her into the snow; all three of them rolling down the frosty hill in a tangle of limbs. Their playfulness had ended when they realized they were all soaked through and shivering, and Josie offered that they go inside and warm up.

They had all changed in the room, Fred and George on one side of the curtains of George's bed, Josie on the other. Josie quickly stripped down into her thermal undergarments, tugging the jeans on over the bottoms but leaving just the thermals on top. They were a little tight for her liking, but they were long sleeved and comfortable, so she decided to leave it at that. She was laying her sweater on the ground when the twins appeared from around the bed, both in t-shirts and jeans. Josie looked up as Fred ran into Georges back, not noticing his twin's sudden stop.

Josie's blue eyes locked with his wide brown ones, confusion crossing her expression as he stared at her. She noticed Fred follow the matching gaze, his expression forming into a similar look of surprise. "Damn." "Bloody hell." It took moments more of their gawking at her for realization to tumble down onto her, tracking their gaze to find them staring at her unusually tight fitting clothing. Pale freckled cheeks turned red as her heart told her they were staring at her body, but her mind jumped to convince her that she had to be mistaken. You're over confident from even having someone like you. Even as her mind said this, her eyes followed them as they moved closer to her. She instinctively moved back, the back of her knee's hitting Fred's bed and the blanket sinking in around her as she accidentally forced herself to sit down. They sat on either side of her, hips bumping into hers as the bed sunk in around them and forced them to lean into her.

"New shirt?" George asked, his playful tone fighting off the teasing nature of the question. "Yes?" she stuttered out, nerves tumbling in her stomach as they gazed at her. "You seem nervous." Fred chuckled, laying back on the bed and breaking the tension in the room. "I wonder why. It's not like two 1.91 meter tall beaters moved towards me like predators or anything." George chuckled, moving himself to sit in the center of the bed and pulling her to him by her waist. Her back pressed against his chest as her wrapped her arms around her waist and set his chin on top of her head. Fred pulled bags of sweets out from under his bed and shoved one towards them, laying himself so his head rested on her thigh as they helped their cavities grow and tried to get warm. Silence surrounded them for what felt like hours, until Josie finally broke down after catching Fred dart his eyes over her for the fifth time.

"What are you looking at?" she asked abruptly, tossing a Chocolate Frog box at him. "You of course." He replied, chuckling at her. She felt George shake with laughter behind her, his arms tightening around her as he crunched down on a lollipop. "But why?" Josie knew this was a stupid question, she could guess the answer, but her mind was having a hard time comprehending that the answer was even possible. "Do you want the truth-" "Or do you want an excuse?" "Either way-" "You're going to be embarrassed." They said back and forth, Josie's neck twisting almost painfully to look when George chimed in. "Both, I want both." She replied moments later after thinking, her lip between her teeth. "Well isn't that an inviting answer." "Fred." George's stern address of his brother helped line up Fred's comment with the more physical part of her brain, her cheeks turning pink. "Anyway, the real answer is because you're bloody gorgeous, and it's not often that you allow it to be….emphasized." George tightened his grip around her waist to prove his point, making her aware that she was still wearing the thermal shirt.

Josie's insecurity made her want to fight what they were implying, even though she knew they weren't going to be happy about it. "I'm assuming you're talking about my shirt?" she questioned. Both boys nodded, even though the question didn't really need an answer. "It's just a shirt, it's just me. Nothing specia-""Josie." Fred sat up, turning to face her with glance to his twin and a scowl on his face. It wasn't until George shifted his weight that she remembered. Instantly both of them were tickling her from all sides as she squirmed in George's lap, her laughter ringing in the air as she attempted to her away from them. She eventually trapped Fred's hands against her sides by her elbows, sliding down in George's lap until she was almost lying on her back. All three of them were in a fit of laughter, Fred leaning over her due to his trapped state.

As the laughter died down, she caught the twins share a glance before she became suddenly occupied. Fred's lips met hers gently, kissing her as the last giggle faded from her lips. His hands were released as she melted into him, her hands moving to grip his shoulders as he slipped his arms around her waist to pull her up into a sitting position. A small noise vibrated at the base of her throat when he caught her lip between his, sucking gently at the irritated skin as he helped he leaned over her, his knees sinking into the bed. Her heart jumped into her throat when another set of lips met the back of her neck, a shudder noticeably rolling down her spine as the abnormally sensitive skin tingled. Both twins pulled back slightly at her movement, looking at her hesitantly with amused expressions. The nerves twisting in her stomach calmed as she realized they weren't entirely sure of what they were doing either. With a small smile she kissed Fred chastely on the corner of his mouth before turning to George to do the same, only to be caught by a hand cradling the back of her neck. George pressed his lips against hers softly, slowly kissing her until she relaxed from the suddenness of his movement. Fred moved off her, his hands still staying at her waist as he sat himself next to her.

When George pulled back she was dazed, her head spinning and heart racing. Her flustered state was made worse when he looked at her with a grin that could only be defined as adorable, his lips rolling together before pulling back to show his teeth. She felt her cheeks heat up as her heart skipped a beat, the edges of her vision becoming fuzzy as the entire world seemed to focus on him. Reality came back soon enough, and with its return Josie launched herself onto him, pressing her lips against his with a giggle before doing the same to Fred. The three laid on the bed in happy silence, their hands linked together as their new fit of laughter died. It wasn't till after a few moments of silence that Josie's mind jumped at a question. "What did I do to deserve being tickled this time?" The bed sunk in as they both turned onto their stomachs in unison, resting their chins in their hands childishly enough to make her smile. "You implied you weren't special." They said in unison. "So?" she replied. "I'm just a girl, I'm not majorly significant or life changing." "You're wrong." The sternness in their voices startled her, her brows furrowing as guilt twisted her stomach. "You change our lives."  
Her stomach fluttered her eyes wide as she looked between them before sitting up. They sat up behind her as she picked at the skin around her nails. A chin came to rest on each of her shoulders. "You're wonderful Josie, stop trying to convince yourself you're not." The only reason Fred knew she was listening was the soft sight that escaped her. "You're brilliant, beautiful, funny, supportive and have a wonderful laugh. You have absolutely no reason to think you're less than fantastic." Josie hardly moved, picking at the skin around her fingers. She was embarrassed, unsure, and flustered all at once.

George stood up and held a hand out to her, smiling. "C'mon lets go eat." "I'm full off candy." She replied with a small smile, looking up at the both of them. "You need real food Josie, besides, you'll be hungry by the time we walk down the stairs to get there, you always are….everyone is." Fred added with a grin. She smiled, taking their hands and standing up. "Alright, fine." Before she walked out the door she felt Fred's fingers around her wrist, a long sleeved shirt being held out to her. "Figured you wouldn't get uncomfortable around anyone but just us in something like that." He said gently, his eyes flickering over her torso. Josie blushed, having completely forgotten she was wearing the tight top and took it thankfully. Slipping it over her head they scurried down the stairs, pausing to let Oliver Wood pass them with a glance between the three of them.  
"By the way, you're on my team next time we decide to have a snowball fight" George murmured to her as Fred took the stairs three at a time. "Why is that?" she answered softly, turning to look at him. "Because he's never beaten me at a snowball fight. So either you have a better arm than you look like you would, or his theory that you're our good luck charm is true." She flushed a bit, taking Fred's theory as a form of appreciation. "It's probably both." George added, kissing her cheek quickly before jumping the last few steps. She smiled, watching the twins race towards the portrait before grabbing Lee Jordan from his spot lurking near the staircase to the girls dormitory and heading down the staircase for lunch.


	28. Cost You To Keep Me Quiet

The three ended up in the twin's room, Lee no-where to be seen as they sprawled across the floor. Josie had grabbed a pair of jeans from her dorm, where Marina was still hiding out, and the three had striped out of their wet, snow soaked clothes. As if the snowball fight and Josie's joke hadn't been enough, the twins had taken off after her and tackled her into the snow; all three of them rolling down the frosty hill in a tangle of limbs. Their playfulness had ended when they realized they were all soaked through and shivering, and Josie offered that they go inside and warm up.

They had all changed in the room, Fred and George on one side of the curtains of George's bed, Josie on the other. Josie quickly stripped down into her thermal undergarments, tugging the jeans on over the bottoms but leaving just the thermals on top. They were a little tight for her liking, but they were long sleeved and comfortable, so she decided to leave it at that. She was laying her sweater on the ground when the twins appeared from around the bed, both in t-shirts and jeans. Josie looked up as Fred ran into Georges back, not noticing his twin's sudden stop.

Josie's blue eyes locked with his wide brown ones, confusion crossing her expression as he stared at her. She noticed Fred follow the matching gaze, his expression forming into a similar look of surprise. "Damn." "Bloody hell." It took moments more of their gawking at her for realization to tumble down onto her, tracking their gaze to find them staring at her unusually tight fitting clothing. Pale freckled cheeks turned red as her heart told her they were staring at her body, but her mind jumped to convince her that she had to be mistaken. You're over confident from even having someone like you. Even as her mind said this, her eyes followed them as they moved closer to her. She instinctively moved back, the back of her knee's hitting Fred's bed and the blanket sinking in around her as she accidentally forced herself to sit down. They sat on either side of her, hips bumping into hers as the bed sunk in around them and forced them to lean into her.

"New shirt?" George asked, his playful tone fighting off the teasing nature of the question. "Yes?" she stuttered out, nerves tumbling in her stomach as they gazed at her. "You seem nervous." Fred chuckled, laying back on the bed and breaking the tension in the room. "I wonder why. It's not like two 1.91 meter tall beaters moved towards me like predators or anything." George chuckled, moving himself to sit in the center of the bed and pulling her to him by her waist. Her back pressed against his chest as her wrapped her arms around her waist and set his chin on top of her head. Fred pulled bags of sweets out from under his bed and shoved one towards them, laying himself so his head rested on her thigh as they helped their cavities grow and tried to get warm. Silence surrounded them for what felt like hours, until Josie finally broke down after catching Fred dart his eyes over her for the fifth time.

"What are you looking at?" she asked abruptly, tossing a Chocolate Frog box at him. "You of course." He replied, chuckling at her. She felt George shake with laughter behind her, his arms tightening around her as he crunched down on a lollipop. "But why?" Josie knew this was a stupid question, she could guess the answer, but her mind was having a hard time comprehending that the answer was even possible. "Do you want the truth-" "Or do you want an excuse?" "Either way-" "You're going to be embarrassed." They said back and forth, Josie's neck twisting almost painfully to look when George chimed in. "Both, I want both." She replied moments later after thinking, her lip between her teeth. "Well isn't that an inviting answer." "Fred." George's stern address of his brother helped line up Fred's comment with the more physical part of her brain, her cheeks turning pink. "Anyway, the real answer is because you're bloody gorgeous, and it's not often that you allow it to be….emphasized." George tightened his grip around her waist to prove his point, making her aware that she was still wearing the thermal shirt.

Josie's insecurity made her want to fight what they were implying, even though she knew they weren't going to be happy about it. "I'm assuming you're talking about my shirt?" she questioned. Both boys nodded, even though the question didn't really need an answer. "It's just a shirt, it's just me. Nothing specia-""Josie." Fred sat up, turning to face her with glance to his twin and a scowl on his face. It wasn't until George shifted his weight that she remembered. Instantly both of them were tickling her from all sides as she squirmed in George's lap, her laughter ringing in the air as she attempted to her away from them. She eventually trapped Fred's hands against her sides by her elbows, sliding down in George's lap until she was almost lying on her back. All three of them were in a fit of laughter, Fred leaning over her due to his trapped state.

As the laughter died down, she caught the twins share a glance before she became suddenly occupied. Fred's lips met hers gently, kissing her as the last giggle faded from her lips. His hands were released as she melted into him, her hands moving to grip his shoulders as he slipped his arms around her waist to pull her up into a sitting position. A small noise vibrated at the base of her throat when he caught her lip between his, sucking gently at the irritated skin as he helped he leaned over her, his knees sinking into the bed. Her heart jumped into her throat when another set of lips met the back of her neck, a shudder noticeably rolling down her spine as the abnormally sensitive skin tingled. Both twins pulled back slightly at her movement, looking at her hesitantly with amused expressions. The nerves twisting in her stomach calmed as she realized they weren't entirely sure of what they were doing either. With a small smile she kissed Fred chastely on the corner of his mouth before turning to George to do the same, only to be caught by a hand cradling the back of her neck. George pressed his lips against hers softly, slowly kissing her until she relaxed from the suddenness of his movement. Fred moved off her, his hands still staying at her waist as he sat himself next to her.

When George pulled back she was dazed, her head spinning and heart racing. Her flustered state was made worse when he looked at her with a grin that could only be defined as adorable, his lips rolling together before pulling back to show his teeth. She felt her cheeks heat up as her heart skipped a beat, the edges of her vision becoming fuzzy as the entire world seemed to focus on him. Reality came back soon enough, and with its return Josie launched herself onto him, pressing her lips against his with a giggle before doing the same to Fred. The three laid on the bed in happy silence, their hands linked together as their new fit of laughter died. It wasn't till after a few moments of silence that Josie's mind jumped at a question. "What did I do to deserve being tickled this time?" The bed sunk in as they both turned onto their stomachs in unison, resting their chins in their hands childishly enough to make her smile. "You implied you weren't special." They said in unison. "So?" she replied. "I'm just a girl, I'm not majorly significant or life changing." "You're wrong." The sternness in their voices startled her, her brows furrowing as guilt twisted her stomach. "You change our lives."  
Her stomach fluttered her eyes wide as she looked between them before sitting up. They sat up behind her as she picked at the skin around her nails. A chin came to rest on each of her shoulders. "You're wonderful Josie, stop trying to convince yourself you're not." The only reason Fred knew she was listening was the soft sight that escaped her. "You're brilliant, beautiful, funny, supportive and have a wonderful laugh. You have absolutely no reason to think you're less than fantastic." Josie hardly moved, picking at the skin around her fingers. She was embarrassed, unsure, and flustered all at once.

George stood up and held a hand out to her, smiling. "C'mon lets go eat." "I'm full off candy." She replied with a small smile, looking up at the both of them. "You need real food Josie, besides, you'll be hungry by the time we walk down the stairs to get there, you always are….everyone is." Fred added with a grin. She smiled, taking their hands and standing up. "Alright, fine." Before she walked out the door she felt Fred's fingers around her wrist, a long sleeved shirt being held out to her. "Figured you wouldn't get uncomfortable around anyone but just us in something like that." He said gently, his eyes flickering over her torso. Josie blushed, having completely forgotten she was wearing the tight top and took it thankfully. Slipping it over her head they scurried down the stairs, pausing to let Oliver Wood pass them with a glance between the three of them.  
"By the way, you're on my team next time we decide to have a snowball fight" George murmured to her as Fred took the stairs three at a time. "Why is that?" she answered softly, turning to look at him. "Because he's never beaten me at a snowball fight. So either you have a better arm than you look like you would, or his theory that you're our good luck charm is true." She flushed a bit, taking Fred's theory as a form of appreciation. "It's probably both." George added, kissing her cheek quickly before jumping the last few steps. She smiled, watching the twins race towards the portrait before grabbing Lee Jordan from his spot lurking near the staircase to the girls dormitory and heading down the staircase for lunch.


	29. All Of Our Vices

The next morning Josie convinced Marina to sit with her and the twins before the Quidditch match, telling her it would be easier with so many people around to keep Lee from focusing all his attention on her. Lee and the Twins were always more distracted than usual before a match, for good and obvious reason. Josie dressed for the occasion, pulling a red sweater over the white button up that was tucked into her corduroys before slipping on a gold headband and wrapping her Gryffindor sweater around her neck. For a moment Josie wished it was warm enough to wear the cuter clothes she owned, but it was soon forgotten as her new friend approached her. Marina smudged red streaks across Josie's cheeks with her lipstick before pouting her lips to apply it, causing the foreign girl to match the majority of Gryffindor house. Alicia was left to sleep in for a while, the door quietly shut behind them and the descended the staircase. The great hall was slowly filling up, the Ravenclaw team already half assembled at their table.

Josie took a seat at the end of where the team usually sat, Oliver Wood already picking at his food nervously as his fingers drummed on the table. Josie had gotten halfway through a sandwich before the twins sat down next to her, one on each side as the rest of the team filtered slowly down from the tower. Wood quickly fell into a conversation about today's match, Fred and George half listening as they ate.

"Do you understand any of this?" Marina asked in hush tones across the table, nodding her head down to Wood. "A bit, only what these two have explained or what I picked up on from watching." She replied, sipping at her water. "How much did you know before that?" "Absolutely nothing." "Less than nothing, she can't fly." Fred added, finishing his food and turning his body to face her. "You can't fly?" Marina asked in disbelief, leaning so far into the table that her chest almost hit her plate. Josie shushed her quickly turning a bit red. "I can fly; I'm just rubbish at it. I'm not exactly athletic, and balancing is not my strong point." She said simply, throwing a spare chunk of bread at Fred for bringing it up. "Are you sure about that?" Marina said with a smirk, her eyes darting between the twins with a raise eyebrow. The other half of the spare chunk of bread ended up in the middle of her forehead.

With a shake of her head Marina shook off the small spark of aggression. "Flying is not that hard." She said, pointing at her with a fork. Lee sat down between George and Alicia, not noticing Marina seated across from Josie until it was too late. George patted his back with a stifled laugh, going back to eating while Lee sat wide eyed. "It is for me." She said through a laugh, watching Marina go a bit red at Lee's appearance. "You know, we could teach you." George said simply, crossing his arms on the table. All Josie could muster though her glee at Marina and Lee's exchanging of glances was a confused look. "You could come over during the summer, we could help you fly." Marina waggled her eyebrows at Josie as she thought the offer over, causing her to stare in confusion. "I'll ask." "That's a yes." Fred said. "What does that mean?" she asked, smiling up at him. "Your parents love us." was all he replied.

Soon enough the team fell into their usual routine of joking around, and Josie set her eyes on Marina and Lee. They weren't saying anything, so Josie took it upon herself to introduce them. "Lee, this is my roommate Marina. Marina, this is Lee." She said gently, looking between them. They both muttered a hello before drawing back into themselves, something very odd for the both of them. "If I'm not mistaken, they've met. What I want to know how the hell you became an animagus when you're only a 5th year." Josie elbowed George hard in the side, her elbow colliding with his ribs and earning a very painful exhale of air. She stopped from scolding him through her laugh when she caught Lee look up with interest, Marina raising an eyebrow. "I asked McGonagall about it first year, and I've been studying it ever since. It's not that hard." Marina stated, smiling proudly. "You're telling me that you became an animagus in four years?" Lee asked, suddenly putting himself in the conversation. Marina nodded, but their conversation was cut short by the arrival of Harry Potter, Gryffindor seeker, and his new broom. Immediately half the table leaned to get a better look, Wood having him place it in the center of the table like it was the Quidditch World cup. Paxton and his soul mate came over from the Ravenclaw table, Lana dressed in blue to support Paxtons team, and a set of boys from the Hufflepuff table stood closely behind Bijou, all of them in awe of the broom. After getting the attention of her cousin, Josie leaned out herself to get a look, only to be playfully shoved by the large blonde when he got to her. Muscled arms wrapped around her shoulders, hugging her tightly.

"Hey Josie, haven't seen you in a while." He said with a grin, ruffling her hair before straitening up so she could turn to look at him. "For good reason." He added, glancing towards Lana. "It's alright, I've been locked up in the library." Josie said simply. "I still don't understand how you aren't in Ravenclaw." Her cousin wondered, but Josie's attention was turned elsewhere as she felt the twins staring at her, slight waves of jealousy radiating from them. She was quick to fix their thoughts. "Oh yeah, Paxton this is Fred and George." She said with a gesture to them in turn. "Fred, George, this is Paxton, my cousin." Paxton shook each of their hands in the order Josie pointed to them, grinning widely. "You can tell them apart. Well isn't that special?" he said with a smirk, winking at Josie. Her cheeks began to heat up as he walked away, George leaning close to her. "He knows doesn't he?" he asked with a smirk, his only reply a deepening blush and a shrug.

After a very loud and rude commentary from a Slytherin boy, the team wrapped up their meal and headed down for the field, Josie, Lee, and Marina trailing behind Fred and George as they walked. Lee and Marina fell into a struggling conversation as they walked far behind, leaving Josie alone with the twins. When the time came that they needed to part ways, Josie squeezed both of their hands gently with a grin. "Good luck." She said simply, throwing her arms around their necks to hug them both. Wood called for them to come into the locker room, and Josie was left with a wave and matching smirks.

Catching up to Marina, they filed into the stadium to catch a spot against the railing. Lee had already run to his place in the announcement booth, his booming voice carrying over the stadium as he made jokes before the match began. "Well?" Josie asked Marina, nudging her in the side. "Well what?" she replied with a quirked smile. "You can Lee are talking." "Thank you captain obvious." Josie rolled her eyes, settling herself against the wooden bar as the team filtered on to the field. She grinned besides herself as she spotted two heads of ginger, cheering with the rest of her house. "You know, you really should let your relationship out of the bag." Marina said, her voice almost completely lost in the crowd. "What's your reasoning?" Josie asked, leaning into Marina's ear. "Because then you three could do as you pleased." The brunettes look of confusion caused her to continue. "Fred was obviously dying to kiss you before he played, and George watched out the door of the locker room until we made it to the stairs." Josie felt herself blush, nudging Marina with her shoulder before smiling awkwardly at the confused look Bijou hag given them as she came up to stand next to Josie. She caught sight of Paxton on the opposite side, his arms covered in his old beater gear and wrapped around Lana tightly.

The team took off from the ground, zooming into the air as Lee started his usual babble, this time focusing on Harry Potters impressive new broom. Marina and Josie laughed as McGonagall's voice cut through the microphone, forcing him to pay attention to the match. The two seekers streaked past, and Josie heard Fred's voice call out in their direction. Making note of which direction Fred went, Josie caught sight of what had to be George taking off in another direction. It agitated her that she couldn't pick them apart when they were playing, so she was always trying to find ways to do it. They moved too fast to catch the numbers on their jerseys, and she never got a good enough look at their faces.

As Gryffindor scored its first point George flew close to her, watching the game play out. "C'mon George!" she yelled, clapping with the rest of her house. George turned his head at the sound of his name, and Josie grinned at him as she caught his eye, her slightly crooked teeth bared behind pink lips. His smirk grew as he took off up into the air above the field, faster than before. Not seconds later a bludger almost hit their seeker, earning a loud unpleasant groan from Gryffindor house. Josie looked up as a loud "SMACK!" echoed above her head, just in time to see a bludger barreling towards the Ravenclaw beaters and George tossing his club into the air arrogantly. The game took off again, Fred racing past his brother to give him a well-earned high-five.

Everyone was yelling, cheers, calls from Wood, and McGonagall berating Lee filled her ears. Marina nearly threw herself over the barrier when Harry Potter darted to the ground after the snitch. Josie followed suit, but stopped dead when she noticed three black figures standing on the field, and her heart immediately sank. But as Harry through a spell in their direction and flew through them to clasp the snitch between his fingers, she realized that something about those inky black cloaks was off.

Josie watched as the Gryffindor team landed in a stream onto the field, cheering and congratulating each other.

"C'mon!" Marina yelled, grabbing Josie arm and pulling her down onto the field with the rest of the Gryffindor students, her boots pounding on the wooden staircase. She quickly entered the field and made a bee-line strait for the twins, ignoring the screaming McGonagall as she threw her arms around the two of them. She was immediately lifted off her feet and spun around widely, Fred's lips pressed against her cheeks before she felt another pair of arms wrap around her from behind as George took her from his brother to spin around as well. She stumbled to the ground, her head spinning a bit as people cheered around her. Even as the world still spun she picked the twins jumping and yelling out of the crowd, the simmer of jealousy that brewed in her heart when she saw then both hug Angelina dimmed by the happiness in their features. But the feeling still sat inside her even as Fred grabbed her hand and led her off the field for the part that would follow their win in the common room, commenting that she was his good luck charm and bragging that he had hit sent a total of 14 bludgers at the opposing team and making jokes about the four Slytherin boys who had pretended to be Dementors. Josie made both the twins promise that Marcus Flint would never hear the end of it.

The party had barely even started when Fred and George dragged her off, all three of them having changed into more "appropriate" clothing. Appropriate for a part of course, not for sneaking through the castle. Josie tugged down her skirt as they snuck down the staircase, regretting letting Marina talk her into baring her legs. It didn't take long for her to realize where they were going, and she smiled softly with a sigh. "Really?" she asked, rolling her eyes playfully. "What? If you have a party-""You need food." They responded, taking the stairs two at a time before turning the corner into the corridor hiding the one-eyed-witch statue. They fell silent for a moment, still energetic and on edge from their match. They were almost at the passage way when the twins stopped unexpectedly in front of her and turned on their heels to trap her between them. Her gasp of surprise echoed in the empty hallway, the thudding of her heart rattling her chest.

"C'mere you." Their rough voices met her ears and soon after she found herself pulled into a deep kiss, George's lips crushing hers as Quidditch worn fingers gripped her jaw. The callouses on his hands rubbed against the roundness of her face, and she felt her cheeks become squished as her pulled her closer. The kiss ended quickly, Fred turning her chin with his finger tips to kiss her just as passionately as his brother, arm around her waist to hold her to him as her fingers gripped his arms. She gasped for breath when her lips were returned to her, pressing her hands to her face in embarrassment.

"What was that for?" she asked, stumbling over the words due to her accent and surprise. "Wanted to." They said simply, shrugging their shoulders with a devious grin. "Oi, Fred. Do you think her cheeks are that red from us, or because the stuff she had on earlier stained?" George asked, holding his chin in his hand in an attempt to look analytical. "Not sure George. Only way to find out is to see if she gets redder-""When we do this." The both of them leaned down to press a long, firm kiss behind each of her ears, earning a shudder and soft moan from Josie. Pulling back to appraise their work, they nodded at each other. "It's both." They turned to open the passageway, leaving Josie beet red in the middle of the corridor. It took her a few seconds to shake off her awkwardness before she followed after them, the cold tunnel raising goose bumps on her thighs. The three raced down the stone shaft, Fred opening the floor into Honeydukes quietly. Josie kept watch on the staircase as the twins shuffled through boxes and retrieved what they had come for, the prior hushing them as they laughed at their handiwork. Hands full of chocolates and Butterbeer, the disappeared back into the tunnel and headed back to the tower, smiling all the way.

Josie snuck into the corner near the fireplace, curling herself up into a chair as the twins disappeared to soak up the glory of showing up with snacks. Marina joined her a while later, sitting on the arm next to her. "You look cheerful." She commented, handing her a drink and a peppermint toad as she took in Josie's guarded stance. The negativity she had felt after the game earlier had appeared again; knees pulled into the chair, arms crossed in front of her as she watched Angelina and Katie Bell fawn over Fred and George's ability to make goodies appear. She didn't dislike either girl, she quite liked Angelina's company in small doses, but they were a little too close and flirtatious for her comfort. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn she felt her eyes turning green from the jealousy bubbling in her stomach. Marina sighed when Josie didn't respond, causing her emotional state to worsen as guilt stirred in with the jealousy. Blue eyes darted up to catch Marina following her prior gaze, the animagus rolling her eyes when she realized what was going on.

"Are you jealous?" she asked in a hushed laugh, her face utterly amused. Josie only scowled at her and blushed in frustration. "Bloody hell you are." Marina moved to crouch in front of her, glancing back at the twins and their team mates before setting her elbows on Josie's thigh. Josie barely noticed, her eyes glazing over with mixed emotions as she watched. She wanted to kick herself for feeling so terrible during such a happy time, but she couldn't push down the ache. Her mind rushed with a million thoughts, how much better the girls on the Quidditch team were compared to her, how much less other girls weighed, how much more outgoing they were, how the twins deserved so much better, how they deserved someone like them, someone who didn't get these feelings, some who could keep up. "Josie!" Marina's loud voice and her polished fingers snapping in her face stopped the thoughts and drew her eyes to the girl in front of her. "Quoi?" she asked softly, her voice cracking.

"You're starting to tear up." Josie rubbed the back of her hand across her eye, finding tears glistening on her skin when she checked. "Oh, uhm, don't worry about it. I'm fine." She stuttered, opening her drink and taking a sip to try and clear the lump in her throat. "Obviously fucking not. What's wrong?" Josie couldn't help but glance at the twins again, and she instantly regretted it. Marina scowled, getting up abruptly and walking towards the twins. Josie's heart raced as she felt herself become incredibly hot, red splotches forming on her chest and neck from embarrassment. Getting up from her seat as quickly as possible she ducked behind a group of second year boys, watching as Marina grabbed Fred by the shirt and muttered something in his ear. Josie hid as he lifted his head to look for her, backing herself into a corner behind the crowd so she could make her way up to her dorm undetected. She was almost there when a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her into the staircase to the boy's dorms.

Her heart was still beating too fast when she looked up to find Fred Weasley staring down at her, a very unpleasant and upset look tormenting his features. Guilt once again washed over her, and she couldn't stop the soft sob that escaped her throat as her hands hid her face. Muscles tensed when strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his chest and cradling the back of her head. "Hey, calm down. What's wrong?" his voice was gentle, nose buried in the hair at the crown of her head as he rocked slowly. "Marina told you." She replied softly, rubbing her temple with her fingers while her other hand fisted in his shirt. "You need to tell me." Her guilt worsened, internally beating herself up for causing this conversation.

It felt like hours until she could speak, but Fred didn't move an inch or give any sign he was going to until she talked. "I-I don't know. I just-I feel…jealous; like I'm not good enough. I hate it, I don't want to feel like that, but I can't help it. I don't know how to stop it; I want to compare myself to everyone. It-It makes me so angry I just-"She felt herself losing her grasp on her English, falling heavier into her accent and losing focus on her translations. She did the only thing she could do in the emotional state to release enough of her feelings to function; she screamed. Her face pressed into his chest, teeth gritted and her eyes closed in a grimace, she let out a small cry of frustration. He gripped her tighter, waiting until she relaxed to loosen his hold. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for doing this; it's so terrible of me. I'm not go-""Josie." She stopped, swallowing hard as she pulled back to look up at him. Fred ran his fingers though her hair, pushing back her bangs to see her better as he sighed. "Stop apologizing. You're fine. Everything's okay, I understand." He looked into her eyes as he spoke, his voice slow and measured so she understood him. "You're not the only one who gets jealous." He added before leaning down to secretly kiss her cheek in the shadows of the stairwell, her unease slowly melting away. "I know." She said softly, taking his hand and running her thumb across its back. "I don't think you really do."

With that he pulled the confused Josie back into the party with a smile, yelling loudly to George who was talking to Angelina, Marina and Lee. As she returned both twins wrapped an arm around her, holding her tight as they talked about the match, their strength and humor putting Josie at ease as everything started to seem alright again. The rest of the night was spent in smiles, laughing and flirting underhandedly until McGonagall shut them down soon after midnight, each of them ascending to bed in good spirits.

But despite the joy that overcame the distress, Josie kept thinking about the sadness in George's eyes when she returned with Fred, and wondered if they had been mirroring her own.


	30. Even After The Glitter Fades

Shortly after the dramatics following the Ravenclaw match, Valentine's Day broke through the stressful monotony. Josie's roommate Catherine became completely invisible, becoming glued to her boyfriend's hip at all hours of the day. Marina was having a mild attack every time Josie saw her, either because she wanted to know what Josie was doing for the twins, or over her uncertainty of what to do about Lee.

Marina and Lee had been talking more and more, becoming nearly as inseparable as Josie and the twins. As they got over their embarrassment over the "big reveal" as Fred called it, their outlandish and over the top personalities clashed full force, and everyone around them realized how well the meshed. Lee was a loud, outgoing, energetic person with loose lips and a foul mouth. Marina was overly flirtatious and open about herself in every aspect; things of detailed or intimate matters didn't deter her from saying what she thought. And everything she thought was in the highest detail with no limit on her language. This part of her personality became extremely apparent as the two girls got closer, spending much of the time when Josie wasn't with the twins or in class, together.

Late the night before Valentine's Day, Josie and Marina sat behind the scarlet curtains around Josie's bed, their conversation hushed by a silencing charm Josie had cast. "So, what are you doing for the twins tomorrow?" Marina asked, nudging Josie with her arm and almost causing her to spill her tea. "Nothing much. I got them both small gifts, I don't think they'll get me anything though." "They better or I'm gnawing their wands apart! You're a sweet girlfriend; you deserve a Valentine's Day gift." "It's only been a couple of months; I'm not worried about it. We can worry about it next year; I haven't done much to deserve one yet…" A chocolate frog smacked her in the face as her voice drifted off, Marina glaring at her with a playful air. "Do I need to tell them you said that? Because I'll tell them." "Non! I-" Josie lowered her voice, blushing a bit. "I just think we haven't been together long enough to really do anything for Valentine's Day." "I think you three are super cute and need to get over your awkwardness." "Shut up." Josie bit into a Caldron Cake, her cheeks red from embarrassment.

It was silent for a while before Marina spoke again. "What did you get them?" Instead of answering, Josie leaned over the side of her bed to grab her book bag; pulling out the small books she had gotten the twins and handing them to Marina. "Books? Seriously? You're giving the two Gryffindor beaters and school-wide pranksters books?" Her heart fell, blue eyes lingering on the covers before adverting themselves. "I think they'll get a laugh out of them." "I think you can do better." Marina smirks, scrambling off the bed to fetch something from her chest. She came back moments later with two bottles glitter, a capped vile of clear liquid, and ribbon. Josie was too caught up wondering what she was doing to notice Marina reaching to pluck a bit of her hair, dropping the brown strand into the vile before shaking it.

"What are you doing?" Josie asked, watching the liquid in the vile turn into a powder. "I think you should make your books more creative and special. This takes your…you-ness, and turns it into a powder that smells like you. I was going to use it on Lee, but I think you need more help with flirting than we do." Blue eyes rolled as she picked up the bottles of glitter, looking at them. "What's this for?" She asked, receiving a shrug from Marina. After a minute of thinking, Josie stopped Marina from pouring the powder onto the books with a grin. "Wait!" The fluffy haired animagus looked up abruptly, raising an eyebrow. "I have a better idea." Josie said with a laugh.

The next morning Josie rolled out of bed early, nerves kicking her awake as the sun rose. She dressed quickly, pinning the bow she and Marina had made into her hair as she walked down the staircase, her shoulder weighed down by her bag. It was a chilly but sunny morning, Josie's skirt swinging against her tights as she stepped into the common room. She sat down in front of the fireplace to read todays Charms lesson before the twins came down, not wanting to miss them and have to share her gift with them in the hall. It was at least half an hour before the boys started to trickle down the staircase, the sound of voices and footsteps registering in Josie's mind as she read. Soon enough the couch on either side of her sunk down, arms wrapping around her shoulders.

"Good morning!" they said in unison, grinning at her as she shut their book and looked at the both of them. "Good morning." She replied, her hands starting to shake from nervousness. "Happy Valentine's Day?" she said slowly, her voice cracking on the unfamiliar English word. "Oh is that today?" George said casually, removing his arm from around her shoulders as he stood up, Fred following suit. They both held a hand out to her, not fazed by her small frown turning her pouted lips downward. Josie couldn't pick out why exactly she was upset, but her blood boiling at the casual way they commented on the holiday proved she was. The Desmarais/Lefay family had always been enthusiastic about the holiday of love, the sibling duo of Andre and Andrea passing that down onto their children at a very young age.

Josie remembered sitting with her father's lap by the fireplace, her skirt draping over her small feet as she watched him write out long letters to her mother, both of them full of chocolate icing and cake batter after spending the late hours of the night fixing her mother a cake. Memories of sparkling gift bags, silk ribbons around elegant boxes, the heels of her mother's shoes matching the music from their radio, her parents smiling faces filled her. She was always jealous of the closeness and joy they had on that day, usually crying inaudibly as she was escorted to their neighbor's apartment so her parents could enjoy a dinner out and some time together. Now as a growing girl who was as infatuated with the two boys in front of her as her mother was for her father in the beginning of what would become her parents relationship, she longed for the comfort and sweet nothings she was taught to expect, and feared she was going to be met with the loneliness that fell over her each year.

"Oi, earth to Josie!" Fred's loud voice snapped her from her reminiscing, blue eyes focusing on the two freckled faces hovering in front of hers. "Quoi?" she asked, glancing between their hands. "You zoned out love." George said, chuckling at her. She flushed as she took their hands, letting them pull her up. When they turned towards the portrait, she held them still, her fingers gripping their wrists. "Wait." The quizzical yet curious look gave her the courage to go on, excitement bubbling in her stomach at the small thing she had to give them. "Yes?" they said together, turning to her in unison with matching smirks.

Reaching into her bag she pulled out the two books, each wrapped with red ribbon tied into a bow. She watched their faces turn from curious to confused, each of them taking the one in front of them hesitantly. To Fred went a muggle book on pranks, to George a muggle book on "magic", both of these things Josie thought they would get a good laugh out of. Their chuckles eased her nerves, but she knew it wasn't over yet. "Are these muggle books?" George asked, smiling as he looked the cover over. "Oui, I thought you would think they're funny." She replied, flushing a bit at the small smiles they gave her. "That's adorable." They said in unison, turning Josie's cheeks dark red. She needed to show the real surprise before they flustered her nerve out of her. "Open them." She urged hesitantly, smiling a bit as they obediently untied the ribbon.

They books opened glitter burst from the title page with a loud pop and a bit of smoke, a sweet scent filling the room as Fred and George were covered with red and gold glitter. First years coming down the staircase jumped out of their shoes and looked in fear towards the incident, innocent eyes wide and faces pale. When the smoke and glitter disappeared, the twins both slowly opened their eyes to look at her, the shocked look that graced their features sent Josie into a fit of giggles. "Happy Valentine's Day!" She said cheerfully through her laughter, tossing her arms into the air for effect. The twins shared a glance before George advanced on her, laughing as he spoke. "You're adorable. Now c'mere." He grabbed for her, attempting to pull her into a hug. She dodged him, standing up straighter as she smiles at him. "That's a good look for you George, it really compliments your eyes." she teased. "It would look even better on you." Fred said, lunging towards her. She dodged again. "No thank you, I smell enough like me already." "So that's what that tempting smell is?" "Maybe we should have the real thing instead!" They both went for her, flustering her enough to almost catch her. She ducked, laughing loudly as she darted out the portrait and down the corridor, their steps thundering behind her.

The three of them were scolded harshly by Professor McGonagall when she caught them running full speed down the corridor, the twins in hot pursuit of the smaller girl. They trio spent of the rest of the morning scattering glitter across the school as they went from class to class, Josie now thoroughly covered in glitter after Marina had given them the bottles at lunch, the twins pouring the contents over Josie and Paxton from a staircase shortly after afternoon break ended. Later in the day Josie saw Lana covered in the same glitter, and guessed their boyfriend had kindly shared the holiday cheer and growing glitter epidemic with them.

It wasn't until Josie went to bed late that night after kissing both her boys secretly in the common room and yet another reassurance that they liked her gift that the yearning for a bigger day was met. She had just returned from washing up when she noticed the box on her bedside table, a note tucked under its inky black exterior and a blue bow tied around it. Sitting down on the freshly un-made bed, she picked up the box and it's note, unfolding the paper to find Georges scrawled handwriting.

"This isn't much, but it's all we could think of. It's to pick something of meaning out for an amazing person without feeling mediocre. We'll make it up to you next year, if you'll put up with us that long.

Happy Valentine's Day.

The boyfriends, George and Fred Weasley."

Her lips stretched into a wide smile, her heart becoming light as she read the note over and over until she could recite it by memory, small tears pricking her eyes as emotion overwhelmed her. Mentally hitting herself for being so emotional, she untied the ribbon and opened the lid hesitantly with shaking hands. Red sparks shot upward from inside the darkness of the box, fading to green as they traced a green stem. Josie's heart raced beneath her skin, warming her as petals unfurled from the top, its shifting multicolor lighting up the room before fading into pale blue sparks that fell back into the black bottom of the box, revealing the contents. A small bracelet of braided leather and a string sat in the center, glowing slightly in the darkness of her bedroom. Gently picking up the bracelet, she found the strings woven with pale blue and glowing silver around deep burgundy leather. She could have floated out of the tower by the joy that filled her as she slipped it onto her wrist, pulling the strings to tighten it to fit around the pale skin.

She couldn't stand it, jumping from her bed and running down the stairs and up again to the boys dorm room, she didn't look twice at the surprised Lee before throwing herself into Fred's arms. Her frantic look around the room for George didn't last long as he emerged around his bedside, nightshirt unbuttoned as she grabbed his arm and pulled him to her, hugging both brothers with all of her strength. "To next year." She said softly, smiling as they held her tight.


	31. Faith Walks On Broken Glass

Rumors of Josie's playful surprise for the twins spread quickly, people of all houses good and bad quickly hearing the new gossip. Paxton and his friends had taken to playfully calling her "the glitter girl" in the weeks after, a nickname that she didn't mind at all. But in the usual fashion of gossip with the good came the rude, the story of her Valentine's Day prank reaching more people of the wrong kind than the right.

Most of the teasing had rolled off her back, her joy from the night of Valentine's Day making her invisible against all the rude and ignorant students that poked fun at her, but that began to change faster than it had happened. After returning from Quidditch practice the prior week the twins had been abnormally tense, and neither of them would tell her what was wrong. Not even Lee would admit why they were acting differently, his only response an awkward shrug and adverted eyes when Josie asked before Charms days later. The way they treated Josie had not drastically changed, this she was thankful for, but something was obviously amiss. A competitive aura surrounded them when they were together, jaws tense and eyes challenging as they glanced at each other, followed by downcast eyes and white knuckles. They were obviously competing or fighting over something, everything they did seemed like an attempt to one-up the other; Fred had almost raced George down the staircase to be the first one to say good morning, George had taken her hand when walking to History Of Magic, Fred had written her nearly illegible but flirtatious notes, both of them sat on opposite sides of her during Astronomy the night before and had taken turns moving closer to her until she had to elbow them both away. At first she had enjoyed this attention, but once she caught them arguing in hushed tones while waiting for her after Defense Against the Dark Arts the anger in their voices cut her so deeply that she was scared to say anything for hours in fear after realizing something was majorly wrong. The only comfort she found was in the bracelet they had given her, but even that comfort was slowly fading as the weeks went on, its glow not even enough to light up her thoughts.

Josie was at her wits end, the silence covering lunch ringing in her ears loudly enough to deafen her as they picked at their food. Lee and Marina sat uncomfortably across from her, watching as Josie slowly sunk further down into the bench, hands beginning to shake. It was too quiet, too cold. The voice in her mind screamed at her that this was her fault, planting a seed of guilt in her that grew as she raced through all the options of what she could have done. You pushed them too far on Valentine's; they felt obligated to get you something. They probably are fighting because of you. You must have done something wrong. They're going to break up with you. The barrage of thoughts ceased when Marina touched her hand from across the table, her eyes focusing on her and Lee's expressions, staring at her with furrowed brows. "Josie, you've bent your fork." Lee said, his voice a mix of worry and astonishment.

Josie became aware of the warm metal in her hands, glancing down to find her fingers gripping her silverware tightly as it pressed against the table. The fork was bent sharply, the prongs forming a right angle with the handle. The metal thudded against the stone floor as she dropped it suddenly, pulling her hand back as something had bitten her and clutching her fingers to her chest. She felt Fred and George turn into her and hesitantly touch her arms in an attempt to comfort her, but she hardly looked as she excused herself and left the table, red-heeled shoes clacking against the floor as she left the hall and hid in the nearest bathroom, the echo of the twins calling after her lost to the crowd of voices from their table.

Slamming the door behind her and leaning against the stall, Josie tried to slow down her rapid breathing as she broke out into a cold sweat, finding herself already farther into an anxiety attack than she had thought. They dryness in her throat and the heat under her skin became unbearable after minutes, forcing her to slip out of the comfort of the stall to run water into her hands and splash it onto her face to attempt to wash away the agony.

She didn't know what was wrong or how to fix it, and it was driving her insane. Her nerves were tight, goosebumps rising from her skin and cold shivers running down her spine despite the heat she felt. Everything she thought to do was shot down in her conscience, every cause pointing towards her. It took her what felt like hours to calm down, her forehead pressed against the cool glass of the mirror as she breathed slowly and held her pulse until is slowed to a reasonable pace. The sound of the door opening and someone going into a stall pried open her eyes, the metallic ringing sending the pain in her head to rest between her eye sockets; blurred vision through dilated pupils catching sight of the red seeping up around her fingernails. In the time it took her to wash her hands and focus well enough to walk, she was not alone. A foul aroma of sickening sweetness mixed with what smelt like animal musk filled her nostrils. The area in front of the sinks was now occupied by another girl; the second-to-last girl Josie wanted to be alone with in a time like this.

The side-kick of the girl who hated her so much, whose name she had come to know as Seraphina De'Maricle, had stopped fixing her short blonde curls and had fixed cold grey eyes on Josie. Slim hips leaning against the cold porcelain of the sink, Seraphina smiled cruelly as she folded her arms in front of her before speaking. "What's wrong mon ami, are you sick? Did you look in the mirror?" she said, ill-intent dripping from her overly pouty lips. "I was fine until you walked in, must be the smell." Josie quickly retorted, jerking back a bit in surprise at her own words. Heavily false lashed eyes narrowed as she smiled, sickeningly strait teeth gleaming in the harsh light. "Well it's not meant for you, I wouldn't swing your way even if you paid me. It's a special potion that is made to attract the male senses. Obviously it works, and much better than throwing weak scented glitter." Josie's chest became tight and she felt her heartbeat pick up again, her hip bumping painfully into the sink as she moved back from Seraphina as she advanced towards her.

"That was really sad Josie, that little stunt you pulled on those twins. I mean, it was kind of cute, in an immature, 12 year old girl with a crush kind of way. But the Weasley boys? You're majorly overstepping your worth thinking you could get with either of them, you pushed it with being their friend, but now…" She sighed dramatically, smiling at her. "It's embarrassing to think about actually; do you really think that either of them would fall for your pathetic attempt?" Something must have flashed across Josie's face, a mix between anger and embarrassment perhaps, that caused Seraphina to gasp loudly and lean closer to her. "Or did you think both of them would?" A high-pitched cackle echoed through the room, the sound of the door opening barely audible through it. "You're delusional, but I can understand where your fantasy stems from. If they weren't muggle loving beggars I might have gone for them, like every other girl in our year attempted to when they came back this year after that growth spurt." Josie's knuckles popped as her fists clenched, her breathing quick and harsh through her nose as she grit her teeth to keep back the tears.

The blondes face fell to a scarily serious expression, and it shocked Josie enough to recognize that the room was now occupied by three people; a dark haired girl was lurking near the doorway. She didn't look for long before her attention was drawn back to the blonde towering in front of her, overwhelming perfume causing her to choke. "You're pathetic Josephine. Stop trying to get with what you can't possibly be good enough for and go back to being the quiet foreign girl before I tell the Quidditch girls you're moving in on their territory." Josie's eyes flashed dangerously before she breathed in heavily to talk through gritted teeth. "I don't think anyone is anyone else's territory." Her voice was lower than usually, dangerously calm and clear. She reminded herself of the twins, tilting her head up and glaring up at her with all the bravery she could muster. The Slytherin only laughed. "Please, everyone knows only certain girls can get with certain boys. No pureblood boy goes after a mudblood girl, Slytherin's don't date outside their house, and Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell are the only three girls who could ever get with those twins." Her pale skin crawled as she was looked over, a condescending look of compassion crossing the intimidator's features. "Let's face it, you don't have any chance against them."

All Josie wanted to do was run away, run far away and cry until she shriveled up completely; but she didn't get the opportunity.

Seraphina shrieked loudly as the dark haired girl from the doorway yanked her hair from behind, the height difference between them forcing the blonde to bend backwards painfully as she was thrown towards the door. Josie jumped back in surprise, sucking in air suddenly as she pressed herself against the wall. Shiny shoes splashed through puddles and soaked white stockings as Seraphina turned to face her attacker, first looking at Josie accusingly before noticing the other girl. Josie looked at the girl who had begun to stand up for her, noticing that she was the Slytherin girl who had back talked bullies for her more than once when she had first begun school.

The girl flipped long swooping black bangs out of heavy green eyes as she gazed at Seraphina, her hand resting on her hip lazily as she lulled her head to turn towards her fellow Slytherin. "Don't you have anything better to do than belittle other people for egotistical gain?" She drawled, her voice lazy but melodic as she stared at the other girl. "Yes I do actually, it's your cousin." Was all Seraphina replied, sneering at her. "Good luck with that. Now you might want to get the hell out before I let slip the number of other boys you're "seeing"-" She threw black painted nails up in quotations dramatically before continuing. "-and completely ruin your chances of ever getting with Blaise." Turning her back to the girl to prove the finality of her statement, she moved towards Josie with slow steps, arched brows furrowing in worry. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice balancing out to a low-toned speech tinted with British middle class.

Josie waited until the blonde had stormed out of the bathroom to answer, having to look up slightly to meet the girl's eye. "I'm fine…uhm…thank you for that. You didn't have to do that...again." She reverted back into shyness, stuttering over her words as she smiled at the girl graciously. "You remember?" "Of course I do; you called a group of 7th year Slytherin girls the Sanderson Sisters. It was brilliant." The girl laughed, slightly crooked teeth peeking out from dark lips as she held out her hand. "Charlie Camson, 3rd year." She said simply, shaking Josie's hand when she took it before turning on her heel to leave. "My names Josie!" she called after her, her voice shaking. Charlie raised a hand in acknowledgement before calling back "I know!" over her shoulder before walking out of the door.

As the door thudded shut and echoed off the tile walls, Josie started to think about taking up the offer Paxton had made at New Years. Picking up her bag from its place it had landed when she threw it to the floor upon running in and slinging it across her shoulders, she headed towards her next class in hopes she would soon find out what was bothering the twins.

They were waiting for her when she rounded the corner, standing in the damp grass conversing softly. As she stopped in front of them, they ceased talking and shuffled awkwardly, grinning at her as they held their arms out to be linked with hers. Josie, still shaken up from the happening in the bathroom, hesitated before slipping her arms into theirs; she felt the twins glance at each other over her head before they began to walk down the hill to Herbology.

"Are you alright?" Fred asked, flipping ginger strands out of his face to look down at her. "I should be asking you two that, you've been acting strange recently." Both of their steps faltered when she spoke, switching their usual roles of them bugging her to tell them what was wrong. "We're fine." They said together, shrugging their shoulders. "Just nervous for the match." George added. Josie stopped, looking at him in shock at the absurdity of the excuse and wincing at the pain that tore through her heart. They were lying to her. "Something is wrong, and it's not the match. I know you better than that; you don't get nervous before a match. You're frighteningly calm or excited, you rile yourselves up to be aware of everything, and you talk big for weeks ahead to keep up your confidence. You do not get nervous, and if you do it is not shown like this; unless you two have suddenly turned into Oliver Wood and if that's the case our relationship needs to be evaluated." She was too defensive and she knew it, but their attitude and tension was eating away at her already eroded nerves.

They were silent for a minute, the twins looking at her with surprised expressions as the wind whipped their hair into their eyes. Fred was the one to speak up. "Josie, we're fine. Just…having an issue. Don't worry about it so much, we'll handle it." Even though she wasn't convinced, she still reluctantly nodded her head and took his outstretched hand so they could get to class on time. The rest of the day dragged on, clouds rolling in over the castle to reflect the mood that had set over the three of them.


	32. Underage and Dreamy

After the says stressful happenings Josie decided to take a bath while everyone was at dinner that night, finishing her meal early and disappearing back into the tower to collect her things before any friends caught her. The twins had commented during their Herbology lesson that Marina was looking for her; Josie had spent much of the rest of the day avoiding her. Her mood wasn't ready to interact with Marina, not her playfulness or her barrage of worried questions. Gathering her things from her room and sneaking it out of the portrait in her bag, she headed to the prefects bathroom, the paper Paxton had scrawled the password on in her hand as she snuck down corridors. The short heels of her flats softly clicked against the floor as she headed towards the hidden door. She reached the statue of Boris the Bewildered, gazing hesitantly up at its stone features before counting four doors down and reading off the paper softly once, then again more confidently. The wooden door swung open, soft candle-light streaming out of the crack.

She hesitantly slipped into the room and closed the door behind her, stopping suddenly when her eyes widened at the magnitude of the room. It was huge, stalls lining one wall and a small swimming pool set into the middle of the room. Upon further inspection of the golden faucets, she realized this was what she was supposed to bathe in, golden water pouring from the first faucet she turned. She lost herself in glee, turning all the faucets on and watching as the tub filled with a swirl of colors, one faucet emptying beads that glimmered like pearls into the water. Soon enough the tub was filled, bubbles dusting the surface of the water as it settled into a still, mirror-like surface as the water pouring from the golden fixtures slowed to a stop. Despite the cold floor curling her toes and alerting her brain to keep herself dressed, she quickly striped herself of her clothes and dipped into the water. Warm bubbles washed away goosebumps, the gilded faucets reflecting off the surface and warm light bouncing from them onto her skin as she washed herself, hands running over her neck and chest as a soft tune vibrated from her throat. Even though anyone could walk in at any moment, she found herself completely relaxed; relaxed enough to descend into her thoughts and drift into daydreams as she cleansed herself. The soft sound of water sloshing and dripping lulled her into a state of bliss, her empty mind allowing space for the images of callused hands running over plump flesh as red strands brush against pale skin to fill her brain with no restraint by her conscience.

It wasn't until her fingers where tangled in her hair, skin slick with conditioner that her logical mind became aware of what she was thinking of. The dull throb between her legs became noticeable, pulsing in time with the heart beat thudding in her chest as she thought of them. Anger and guilt mixed inside her, angry at them for being so distant and guilty that she was so angry at them without knowing what was wrong. The tension that had been built down her spine by the stress of today's situation ached her body, tempting her to break it down and release herself from it. Slowly washing out her hair she made up her mind; lifting herself over the side of the tub to grab the edge of her bag she dug out the play ring she had begun to keep stashed in her bag away from Marina's prying hands.

Breathing away her apprehension she slipped the ring over the tip of her finger, the metal shrinking to meet her skin and hold tightly to the end of her digit. The ring's band swirled from milky white to scarlet in an instant, Josie focusing on her thoughts as it began to vibrate softly. Dipping her hands under the water, she watched the surface wave softly as the bubbles hid the glint of silver and felt the vibrations rolling through the water against her skin. She clumsily moved her hands down her body, giggling softly as she tickled her own skin despite her embarrassment in herself. Too afraid of her own body to wander, she quickly went directly to the point; her back arched against the tile behind her as she pressed the metal against the nerves between her thighs. Josie's breath left her, forcing her body to relax and give in to what she was feeling as her legs twitched at the sudden contact. Still unsure of herself and afraid of being caught she bit back the sound that shuddered through her body, rolling the exciting idea that she could be caught through her mind among the images of Fred and George Weasley. The thoughts mixed into one, that she could be caught by the twins themselves, that they could come looking for her any moment and see her as she was now; exposed as she arched out of the water, raising goosebumps on her breasts due to the cool air as she pleasured herself. The idea made the tenseness in her lower pelvis unbearable.

She became desperate as fantasies drifted into something more, unwrapping her arm from its position around her waist to allow her fingers to drift downward to delve between her legs and send fireworks up her spine. Every muscle in her abdomen tensed, her thighs twitching as she pressed small fingers inside of her and the ring harder against her clit. Sinking down until suds brushed the tips of her hair her knee's buckled, legs shaking as she pushed herself harder and pulled her fingers to press against the spot inside her that made her eyes blur. Her breathing became heavy as she worked herself for what felt like hours, hips twitching towards the center of her pleasure and soft cries becoming captured behind her lips, she felt herself coming closer to what she needed.

It came with a loud cry slipping past the barrier of her teeth to echo off the walls, the muscles in her stomach trembling and her legs pushing themselves open as far as they could without harming herself. The warm water amplified the sensations running down her spine, her nerves almost vibrating with the orgasm that ran through her as she continued to push her fingers deeper inside herself in an attempt to prolong the feeling. Her voice broke through as every muscle relaxed and waves of pleasure rolled through her, forcing the air out of her lungs with a clear cry of ecstasy before it left her completely. She gasped for air as it faded, feeling the muscles beneath her fingers throb as she relaxed into the warm water and opened her eyes to watch the bubbles slowly disappearing as she let the last tingle dull back into nothing. The muscles in her lower body felt numb as she forced herself out of the water, muscles in her thighs quivering and soreness forming in the bends of her knees and hips. She lazily cast the spell she was forced to learn to rid her legs and underarms of hair, fingers combing out the tangles in her hair before she dressed herself. Unhappily sighing at her bra, she decided that now was a good time to figure out what was wrong with the twins as she found herself relaxed enough to calmly address the situation. Slipping into her school shirt and skirt, she stuffed her tights and tie into her bag before slathering lotion from one of the faucets onto her legs and stuffing her shoes into red flats to head out into the hallways in search of her boys.

They were no-where to be found when she got there, instead she found Marina lurking at the bottom of the girls staircase waiting for her, padding back and forth in her cat form to catch her. Immediately as Josie came near she transformed into her human form in the shadows of the staircase, grabbing the French girl and dragging her up the stairs and into their dorm. Laughing all the way, Josie found Marina's plan quite hilarious and very cat-like of her. "Am I a mouse?" she asked as she sat on Marina's bed, giggling as a glare was shot her way through the slits of the animagus's sea green eyes as they morphed back into spheres. "Very clever. What's up with you?" she jumped strait to the point, hands on her hips as she planted herself in front of Josie like an upset parent waiting for her child to confess to something they've done. Josie thought the truthful route was the best way to go. "It's nothing extreme…I'm just really unsettled-""That's putting it lightly." She was surprised when her conscious and Marina stated their opinion on her wording at the same time, eyes widening at staring at her dumbfounded for a second before continuing. "I'm just unsettled because the twins are acting weird. They're tense, unhappy, arguing, and it's really making me worried. They won't tell me what's wrong, but they've been this way since last week's Quidditch practice." She opened a wound on her finger as she spoke, her voice wavering unhappily as she explained. "Have you asked Lee?" "I did, he didn't know either. If he did he would have told me"

Marina immediately turned on her heel and disappeared out the door, heeled footsteps echoing down the hallway before stopping completely. Confused, Josie stood and went to the door, craning her neck around the frame to watch as she disappeared into an open dorm down the hall. Mumbled conversation bled through the walls before Marina re-appeared moments later, Josie ducking back into the room quickly so she wouldn't be seen and listened to the sets of footsteps echoing down the hallway.

Angelina Johnson was the last person Josie expected to see come through the doorway, Marina dragging her by the arm before turning on her as soon as they entered the room. Josie got a sudden feeling of dread, gnawing in her stomach as her and the Quidditch player exchanged confused looks. "Tell her what you told me." Marina said bluntly, a triumphant gleam in her eye as she cross her arms in front of her. Angelina looked at her for a moment before opening her mouth to suck in air to speak. "The only thing that was said that I could possibly see being a problem is Wood made a comment about your Valentine's day prank after someone said something." Leaning forward, Josie listened closely to her as a hunch as to what they were so upset about formed in her mind. "What did he say?" she asked softly, watching the confusion grow on her face. "One of the guys said something about your prank and hinted that they were flirting with you too much, and Wood said something along the lines of "one of you needs to grab her before the other one does". They shut up after that."

Josie immediately got up from her seat, the realization lifting her. "Where are they?" She asked loudly, looking at her with wide blue eyes. "Still downstairs maybe; the team was having a talk in the common room before I le-" The dark skinned girl didn't have time to finish, Josie pushing past her to rush down the stairs as her annoyance swelled inside her. Marina and Angelina's footsteps followed behind her, faltering as Josie jumped the last few steps before finding Fred and George sitting on the back of the couch talking to the remaining members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. They looked up as she moved in front of them, blind to the others in the room as she let her fury loose on them.

Her hand met either side of their heads with a satisfying thumb, ginger locks swinging as they jerked away from her and stared with wide dark eyes. "You're jealous! I can't believe it; you've been acting like jerks over a stupid comment, and you're the ones who always convince me there isn't anything to be threatened by!" She felt her accent stumble out with her words, her voice rising to echo off the walls as the team backed away behind her and the twins stared with raised brows. Josie was too annoyed to care. "Neither of you are a threat to the other so stop it. You can try and compete with each other all you want but doing it because you think the relationship is in danger and not telling me is too bloody much." "Josie we ju-""Shut up, I'm mad at you." she cried at Fred's interjection, the smirk twitching at the corner of his mouth sending her over her edge. She heard Marina gasp loudly and Lee call out appreciatively as she finished her statement by crushing his jaw between her palms and kissing him, lips molding to his as the fuse to annoyance fizzled out. Pressing against him hard enough to send him almost tumbling off the back of the couch, she laughed gently as he wrapped his fingers around her hips to hold her close and he kissed her back through his arrogant smile. Pulling away she looked between them to find them both grinning widely, eyes darting behind her to the team that stood in a mixture of shock and amusement at her outburst.

"Took you fucking bloody long enough!" Lee called out from the boy's staircase, where he had been lurking through her entire outburst. "So I'm assuming this means you're together?" Wood asked, clapping a hand on Fred's shoulder as he chuckled. Josie met eyes with George, the smirk dancing on his lips and expectation lurking in his eyes causing her to smile as she realized what she had done, and what she still had to do. All her worry melted when they looked at her. "Yeah mate-"she heard Fred begin. Flinging her arms around George's neck and crushing her lips to his, she felt the laugh that came from his chest, an arm wrapping around her waist to hold her there as his brother secured the fact everyone in the room had already assumed. "We all are."


	33. Can't Pretend I Wasn't Terrified

The air was heavy as the rest of the Quidditch team stared at them, but Josie was light as both her hands were held in theirs and as they kissed her cheeks before grinning at their friends and teammates, minus the infamous Harry Potter. "Well? Spit it out." Fred said, chuckling at the sputtering Oliver Wood, the wide eyed Alicia, the dumbfounded Katie, and the slack jawed Angelina. The room erupted with sound, everyone talking at once so their words ran together into a jumble. George yelled over them, making the room fall back into silence as he, his brother and their girlfriend melted into a fit of laughter. "When did this happen?" Angelina questioned, her face a horrifying mixture of annoyance, anger and shock. "Uhm….shortly before Christmas break I suppose is when it started." Josie said softly, tightening her grip on the twin's fingers. The brush of their thumbs across the back of her hands calmed her, rough fingers over soft skin keeping her stable. "Why didn't I know this?" Alicia asked quite loudly before turning on Marina. "Did you know this?" Marina only nodded, laughing when the other girl threw up her hands in frustration. "Now you owe me and Christine. Two galleons each." Marina laughed, slinging her arm around the other girl's shoulders.

"Why does everyone bet on me?" Josie exclaimed as she hid her face into George's shoulder, the thick knit of his sweater brushing against her bright pink cheeks. She felt them shake with a chuckle beneath her. "Wait" "Which of you" "Bet against us?" the twins asked, raising a brow as Josie looked up to glance between Marina and Alicia. "I bet that she would get with you both, Christine bet that you would get with George." "She was convinced Fred would get with someone from the team." "That's code for Angelina." Josie thought as she pushed down the green demon that jumped up to take control of her. "And Alicia bet that none of you would get together." Marina said matter of factly, ignoring Alicia's interjection. "You cheated! You knew!" "Hey, I made that bet before I became friends with Josie." "And before she knew me, so no pointing fingers here." Lee added, grinning widely. "That too." Marina said with a laugh.

In the time it took Alicia to dig in her bag to begrudgingly pay Marina, Oliver had come to his senses. "So wait, you're….both dating…her." He said slowly, the thought obviously escaping the grip of his mind like a Snitch escapes a Seeker, hands gesturing between the three of them like he was instructing a play. "That's right." Fred and George said together, smirking proudly. "How...does that work?" he asked slowly, bushy brow furrowed. Fred and George chuckled as Josie rolled her eyes at the question. "It just does, she's enough to be shared. We wouldn't have it any other way." George said, smiling. "But don't you get jealous?" Angelina asked. The condescending tone in her voice sent insecurity crawling down Josie's spine, causing her to stiffen enough for the twins to take notice. "We do, but it gets handled. " "Like just now when you yelled and made a scene." Angelina replied to Josie, the coldness to her words causing the smaller girl to recoil. "Oi! It gets handled, we're fine." George's voice was harsh as it cut through the room, his body moving between the two of them as Angelina began again. "I'm just saying-"

"You're not saying anything. Every relationship has its issues. All of ours are resolved as soon as possible. If you're not with us through it then keep it shut." All eyes were on Fred after his outburst, his voice still echoing off the walls as Angelina turned on her heel and stalked up the stairs back to her dorm. It was silent for a long time before George spoke up again, drawing the shifting student's attention. "If this could not be known by the entire school tomorrow morning, that would be fantastic."

"So when are you going to be public?" Marina asks, raising a brow. "When they figure it out." Josie said, smiling a bit and leaning into Fred as he wrapped both his arms around her waist. "We won't hide; we just won't be over-zealous about it." Oliver Wood smiled a bit, rubbing the short stubs of brown that sprouted from his head. "Just don't let this distract you from the match. We're going against Slytherin and we can't afford t-" "We got it Wood." The twins said together, cutting of their captain.

The match against Slytherin drew nearer and nearer until it finally was upon them. The team had seemed to have entirely forgotten about the odd romantic trio of Fred, George and Josie as their minds focused on winning the cup. The night before the match the team gathered in the common room to be together, and so Wood could yell at them about winning one more time and re-plan their strategy for the hundredth him. Josie was wary of going into the common room, not wanting to distract them from their work; or be near Angelina. She didn't think that Angelina hated her, but the air around the two of them had been thick since that night. It wasn't comfortable, and it wasn't what Josie or the twins needed before the match. It wasn't until Marina near dragged her down the stairs after Angelina had gone to bed that she got to be near them for the first time all week, the team sticking together most of the time and causing Josie to avoid them so there would be no confrontation to throw them off. She had kept as much to herself as possible, avoiding the team and the Slytherin house members that had taken it upon themselves to torment Gryffindor house. She had fought against the idea of being apart, but the twins had convinced them it was for her safety.

Alicia and Katie were sitting in the floor in front of the fireplace, the twins strewn across the couches talking loudly. Wood sat on the floor, slaving away over a small mockup of the Quidditch field and muttering to himself aggressively. As soon as she appeared in the staircase Alicia and Katie slowed their laughing to look at her, their expressions neither disappointed nor excited. The raise of their brows hinted towards intrigue. Fred and George followed their gaze, freckled skin breaking out into wide grins as they sat up strait and called out her name loud enough to snap Wood from his Quidditch trance. The team captain smiled gently at her as she walked towards Fred and George, easing her nerves a bit. If Oliver Wood could smile at her presence at a time like this, then should be able to get over her nerves to be with her boyfriends.

As she stood behind the couch and looked down at them she felt the nerves fade away, both boys grinning up at her cheerfully. "Hi." She said softly, eyes moving downward to watch her fingers messing with the couch cushions. "Hi." They returned in unison, Fred grabbing her arm to pull her around to the front of the couch and in between them. Alicia and Katie smiled at her, watching as both boys wrapped an arm around Josie's waist and moved in closer, just enough that their hips touched. Josie caught their exchange of giddy glances, smiling at each other as they covered their mouths and giggled. "How is everyone?" Josie asked shyly, her voice barely breaking a whisper before she cleared her throat to finish her sentence. "Good." "Fine." Came the echo of responses, Josie's hands balled in her skirt at the awkwardness of the situation. "How 're you Wood?" Fred asked playfully, leaning his head back to look at his place in the floor. All that was returned was a grunt. The five of them around the couch burst into laughter, the air turning light as it rose to the ceiling.

Soon enough candy was broken out, the five of them sharing a bag of toffee as they talked together, conversing about the match and Oliver's over stressed state until Wood ordered all of them into bed. Alicia and Katie left quickly, Josie and the twins loitering around the staircase entrance until the room became empty so they could wrap her in their arms to press their lips to hers. Fred lingered on her, kissing her shortly again before completely pulling away so she could pull George into a kiss and ruffle her fingers through his hair. "Good to see you." They said together after they had broken away, chuckling at her flushed cheeks. "Yeah, sorry about that…" she muttered, looking away shyly. "Don't worry about it, we encouraged you." "Slytherin has been starting fights with Gryffindor." "We didn't want you to get involved with it." "We need our good luck charm." Their words eased her heart's rhythm, a smile creeping up onto her lips at the title given to her. They always made her feel better, despite all other circumstances."Don't worry about Angelina, she'll get over it." "No idea why she's pissed, but she'll get over it." Josie sighed, shifting awkwardly. "Thanks boys." They each kissed both her cheeks before she did the same to theirs, smiling at them as she disappeared up the staircase to rest for tomorrow.

The next morning Josie woke up early to get ready and meet the twins before the team all filed down to the Great Hall, waiting in the common room with a book in her lap as people passed excitedly on the way to breakfast. When she heard the rambunctious laughter floating down the book was snapped shut, the boots of her heels clunking against the floor as she moved to meet them at the entryway. Oliver trailed behind them with Lee, but Josie didn't stop him when George wrapped his arms around her waist to pick her up and press his lips to hers, spinning her around to set her on her feet in front of Fred so he could do the same.

"Good luck!" she exclaimed as they let go of her, throwing her arms around their necks and kissing them each on a cheek before leaving them to gather with their team before heading down to the Great Hall. Josie made her way down the staircase, her fingers tracing the cool marble of the railing as she listened to the roar of students echoing off the walls. She soon sat down on the end of the table closest to the door and began to eat breakfast, silently watching the people around them as she ate and waited for the team to make its appearance. Minutes later the team appeared in full glory, the Gryffindor table erupting in thunderous applause as they sat, the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff table's cheers drowning out Slytherin's jeers towards the soon-to-be winning Gryffindor Quidditch team; she caught sight of Paxton standing on the Ravenclaw table to whistle loudly before Lana and another girl pulled him down. Shuddering and reaching back to smack their sides as the Twins ran their hands across the back of her shoulders as they passed, Josie cheered with the rest of her house as she shared a smile with them from down the table. As the roar died down Josie's mind soon wandered, hopefully wishing one day that she could sit down there with them and feel at home, unfazed by anyone who judged her, instead of watching from afar.

Soon. She thought, sipping at a glass of orange juice while the hall settled down, only looking up when the seat across from her became taken by a green sweater and ripped stockings. Josie raised her eyes from her plate to meet the eyes of Charlie, the girl who had helped her in the bathroom the other day, staring back at her under thick lashes heavily coated in mascara. "I come in peace, I swear it." She said lightheartedly, probably to ward of the glares coming from down the table and to calm the nerves that rolled through Josie.

"Don't trust that." Marina said as she and Lee sat down on either side of Josie, obviously ready for a fight due to their tense shoulders and grim expressions. Charlie only laughed a deep and throaty laugh of good humor. "I understand the apprehension, but I am not here to start any problems, that totally is not worth my time." Her voice reminded Josie of smoke drifting across wine glasses as it floated up from those fancy cigarette holders women held while eating brunch at the small restaurants by the Seine. Her braids fell to contrast against pale cheeks as she leaned forwards on her elbows with sudden seriousness. "I wanted to make sure you're okay, and to ask if the Wicked Witches had done anything since the other day." She said softly, green flecks in her eyes glinting in the sunlight as she stared into the blue ones across the table. "Why are you asking?" Josie asked softly, thick brows furrowed in confusion. "I don't like unfinished business, and you don't deserve that kind of treatment. You're so sweet it's unbearable, and I understand what it's like to be a new kid with few connections." She said with a smile, her gaze drifting down the table towards the team before settling on something.

Josie followed her gaze to find the twins watching from down the table with solemn expressions, eyes darting between Charlie and herself. Josie smiled reassuringly, mouthing "Its fine" to signal there was no aggression between her and the opposing house member. That seemed to calm them, the two turning back to their team as Josie turned back to her new companion. She began with a stutter. "I'm fine, I haven't seen any more than the back of their heads in class since then." Josie almost didn't say what she was wanted, but Charlie beat her to it before she could even completely get rid of the idea. "So you saw the thin spot on the back of Barbie's head?" "Excuse me?" "Seraphina." Her eyes glinted deviously at the mention, a small smirk playing at her lips. Josie was flustered for a moment before she cleared her throat to laugh lightly. "I did." She replied, picking at her food in a silent signal to be left alone. She liked Charlie well enough, but the teasing and boisterous underlying to her personality made her a bit uncomfortable. She was a Slytherin, and an obvious one, but she lacked the judgmental air that most of them held. Josie had been protected by her after all, and she was a half-blood. The other girl was obviously more relaxed and uncaring in her nature than others, a quality that was both assuring and disturbing.

Charlie seemed to ignore her awkwardness in favor of Lee's exclamation of interest. "You're the one that handed that girl a one way ticket to pubescent baldness?" his grin almost broke his face, a loud laugh ending his statement. She only nodded, smiling smugly before leaning back lazily to tug her sweater down over her hips. Upon shifting she knocked into someone in a small group passing behind her, the boy she had bumped turning to look down at her and straiten his turtleneck as she looked up from her spot. Her apology stopped as soon as it started, bright teeth peeking between stained lips as Charlie grinned.

Lee let out a very loud groan that was echoed by Marina when they looked up to see who was standing behind the dark haired Slytherin girl. One of them Josie knew to be the Slytherin seeker, the other three boys she did not know but assumed they were in the same house due to their green clothing. "Ah, well if it isn't my dear, sweet, darling cousin. Hello Blaise." Charlie smiled, turning her body to look up at the group from her spot. The tall, dark, boy that she had leaned into looked down at her with a raised eyebrow before quirking his lips in a smile and walking away with his hands shoved into his pockets as he left the other boys behind with a fleeting farewell. Josie took in the remaining Slytherin's appearances as she felt Lee dive into a plate of food next to her, glancing them over from behind a glass of juice. One boy was a very large boy with a very squished face, beady eyes glancing around the room, as the other very tall and burly boy with short hair and harsh features glared towards the Gryffindor team. The last and only face Josie recognized was staring intently at Charlie, cold grey eyes looking down a pointed nose as he sneered.

"Fraternizing with the enemy Camson?" The hairs rose on the back of Josie's neck, the nasal tones in his voice making her skin crawl. The Slytherin seeker, someone Josie only knew as Malfoy, reminded Josie very much of a snake or a bird; predatory but too small to be a threat to any of them. This was a notion she took much comfort in. "I'm talking Draco, is that a problem? Or are you that insecure about your Quidditch skill that you're afraid a mere conversation with the opposing team will throw off your game?" Charlie drawled, picking at the ends of her hair before smiling up at him sweetly. "You're talking to the opposing house right before the match." "I'm allowed." She replied, drawing out the final syllable before patting his arm gently. "Good luck." Her word was final as she turned back towards the three Gryffindors, her expression self-satisfied. The boy stormed off, trailed by the other two as the disappeared around the corner as Charlie stood up. "Better go before he cries." She was overly sarcastic as she wiggled her fingers in a wave before walking off, calling her good will to them and their team before exiting the hall.

There was a long pause of silence before the three of them descended into laughter. "What an interesting look into the lives of Slythering students." Josie commented, returning to her meal with shake of her head. The three were silent until they finished their meals, after which Lee spoke up. "I don't know who has more sexual tension, her and Malfoy…" Josie laughed quietly at the idea as she sipped her juice, glancing down the table to lock eyes with the twins before they began to get up to leave for the pitch. "Or Josie and the twins." Orange juice dribbled onto the table as she sputtered into her drink, covering her mouth and looking incredulously at him as Marina fell off the bench laughing.


	34. To Dust Or To Gold

Gryffindor house was in a roar as they descended to the Quidditch pitch, Lee Jordan taking off in a run down the hill to take his place to announce as the rest of the students filed into the stands. Marina was practically dragging Josie through the crowd, stopping only when she found an empty spot in the very front near the Gryffindor goal. Both of them were decked in scarlet, Marina's red lipstick smeared across both their faces and scarlet rosettes pinned to their breasts. The sound of a soft voice making its way through the crowd drew her attention away from Marina's jeers at the Slytherin team, her head turning to catch the familiar mousy face of Bijou attempting to find a place amongst the students. Josie called out to her, catching the younger girls attention and scooting aside to make a place for her.

"Thank you, I thought I'd never find a spot." She said as she gripped the banister, frowning at the Slytherin house members jeering at them. "You're usually the first one up here." Josie commented, rolling the sleeves of her shirt up and tugging the camisole she wore under the deep v-neck downward. "Yes, well I couldn't find Neville today." Bijou replied, sounding sad and exasperated all at once. "Who?" Bijou's expression turned quite scared, eyes wide as she looked at her and thought over the question. "A friend." "Her crush." Marina and Bijou said, their words overlapping each other. Josie turned on Marina, her brow raised. "Do you know everything?" she asked. "No." Marina said with a smile, patting Bijou's hand gently. "But Lee does."

The crowd rippled in excitement and roared as the Gryffindor team filed onto the field, Josie yelling through cupped hands when Lee called out the team, making sure to raise her voice when Weasley was doubly announced. She hoped her personal wishes of good luck had calmed Oliver's nerves a bit, his smile and the squeeze he gave her shoulder made it seem so. Josie had grown very fond of the Gryffindor captain, finding herself wishing she had transferred sooner so she could have gotten to know him better before he finished his final year. "If Flint squeezes Wood any tighter we'll have a Keeper with a shattered hand." Marina said before leaning on the railing to yell obscenities at the Slytherin captain. The crowd fell silent for a short moment as Madam Hooch's voice raised to cover the field, calling the game before alerting the crowd it was once again their time to cheer as the players took off. Josie as usual had a hard time keeping track of all of the players, but Lee's announcements kept her up with the game. Marina nearly fell over the side of the railing yelling at the Slytherin team when they intercepted the Quaffle, held back only Josie's desperate grip on her shirt. They both cheered as George hit a near perfect bludger, Josie smiling widely as he sent a grin her way when he zoomed past on the tail of a Slytherin player.

"You complete fuck!" "Bâtard!" "Rot en enfer!" The three girls yelled as Marcus Flint rammed into Angelina, nearly knocking her off her broom to the field far below. Josie barely had time to comment that Bijou had cursed in French along next to her before her attention was pulled back to the game when Fred's club flew through the air and hit the back of Flint's head, sending his nose into his broomstick with a satisfying crack. Marina fell into laughter as Josie covered her mouth to suppress her giggling. Even though the outburst gave Gryffindor a penalty to match Slytherin, Flint's well-earned bloody nose was a satisfying sight. "Good job Fred!" Josie cheered, flushing when he glanced her way with a smug smirk. She hadn't expected him to hear her.

Minutes of fast paced confusing play later, another penalty had been awarded to Slytherin and their Beaters had successfully been tricked into colliding head on by Harry Potter. Lee was livid at the Slytherin team, so livid that Professor McGonagall was very obviously questioning putting him in the announcing position. Josie had never seen a game with so much bloodshed, even though the twins both called it a rough game on multiple occasions she had never believed it until now. George sent his elbow right into Bole's cheek, nearly sending him off his broom after the Slytherin member had attempted to hit Alicia with his club.

"Merde!" This time when Josie and Bijou spoke at the same time again, it was the same word. During the pause in game while Madame Hooch penalized both teams, Josie turned to her. "You speak French?" The blonde turned to raise her brows at her, pressing her lips together nervously before she spoke. "Oui, my family is French." "Thank god, someone I can talk to in my native tongue." Josie replied, smiling sweetly before turning back to the game as Wood pulled off another spectacular save. "I'm surprised you didn't realize sooner." "I don't notice a lot of things..." Josie replied absentmindedly while turning a bit red. The two shared a look before turning back to the game, becoming absorbed again as Katie bell scored another goal. They were now fifty to ten, the twins keeping close to her in case any Slytherin decided to play dirty again, which they did. Madame Hooch's screaming snapped Josie's head towards Wood, her attention having been on the twins during whatever had happened to him. "Beaters hit wood, twice." Marina commented, jaw tense as she watched another penalty being awarded. "Keep your head in the game lover girl, you can snog them silly when they win." Josie flushed before scowling at her, returning to screaming for Gryffindor as the game continued. Marina was beside herself, her voice raised to the top of her lungs as they took a sixty point lead. "GET THE SNITCH HARRY!" she yelled, jumping up and down so impressively that her hair floated like a great lion's mane.

Josie caught sight of Charlie watching from across the field, leaning against the railing with as she followed the game. She seemed totally relaxed, watching the players zip around the field like it was children playing in the park on a Sunday afternoon. They locked eyes when she followed the two Seekers as they whizzed past Josie, smiling at her and saluting with two fingers before returning to her observation. Josie was confused at her calm demeanor, so much so that she only looked away when the other girl stood up abruptly and threw her hands up in what seemed to be annoyance, raking her fingers through her bangs. Following her eyes, Josie realized what was happening with the two Seekers, a position she hardly every kept track of. Malfoy was playing dirty, just like the rest of the Slytherin team. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Marina was screaming, her voice nearly overpowering Lee's as he yelled obscenities along with her. Gryffindor was so angry they were thrown off their game, and Wood was obviously nervous as he rocked his broom in front of the Gryffindor goal. Josie's heart ached for him, she wanted so badly for the team to win this for him, to with it for all of them. Wood had driven himself mad for weeks and worked the team till they fell to the field from exhaustion. He deserved this, and she wasn't going to let foul play ruin the teams drive to win this. In the quiet groan that ran through Gryffindor house after Alicia missed her penalty shot, Josie took her chance to be heard and help as much as she could alongside Marina as they shared a small smile.

"KICK THEIR ASS!" they yelled together, heads turning towards them as they cupped their hands around scarlet lips. Fred and George took off in either direction like lightening after smirking proudly at them, and Angelina turned her head to look between the girls in surprise. Josie put her uneasiness for the girl aside to smile at her, forcing all the assurance she had into it. The other girl took off afterwards, the game picking up again as Lee screamed into the microphone. Josie joined the rest of her house in their cheers, clapping along to the beat of "GO GO GRYFFINDOR!" as they raised their voices over those of the Slytherin house. The crowd went wild as Angelina scored another goal for Gryffindor by coming behind the battering ram that was Harry Potter, jumping up and down enough to make the stands shake. Marina was clenching the railing so tightly Josie was afraid the wood was going to shatter, the shorter girl laying her hand over Marina's so the two could hold the each other's fingers tightly to calm their nerves. A gasp ran across the crowd as their Seeker dived towards the ground, the gold glint of the Snitch inches away from Slytherin's grasp. Everyone held their breath as he gained on the two of them, Josie crossing her fingers for him as Marina's nails dug into the back of her hand.

As Harry Potter's fingers clasped around the shining gold ball, the crowd erupted as Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup. Josie and Marina immediately took off through the bustling crowd; hats, scarves, ribbons and the like raining down around them from being tossed into the air in excitement. She looked up in time to see Wood throw his arms around Harry in joy and the twins collide with the two of them. Josie and Marina were in the first group of students who made it onto the field, meeting the team just as their feet touched ground in a huddle of scarlet. Alicia was engulfed by Marina's bouncing form, Katie Bell soon pulled into the hug as the three girls sobbed and shrieked with joy. Josie paid little attention to anyone else, focused on finding two certain Gryffindor Beaters before anything more could even be considered to matter.

George was the first person she found, arm slung around Wood as the latter shook with tears of elation. As soon as their eyes met George released the older boy, his grin threatening to rip his cheeks apart as she sprinted across the remaining space between them and threw herself into his arms. She was soon wrapped in the red of his robes, rough leather of his padding digging into the exposed skin of her back as her shirt rose with the arms that were thrown around his neck. The sweat from his brow pressed against her neck as they embraced, his fingers gripping the back of her thigh to pick her up and spin her as she pressed her lips to his. She didn't care if anyone saw, none of them did. In this moment she wanted nothing more than for everyone to know they belonged to each other; that Fred and George Weasley were hers, and that in return her heart was completely captivated by them. Fingers tangled into gingers locks as she kissed him deeply, her feet touching ground again before they were parted by a large hand coming down on George's shoulder.

The couple parted to look up at the blonde towering over them; Paxton's face stained red with markings undoubtedly left by Lana in the heat of the moment. "Well done Weasley! Nice war paint." he said loudly, grinning smugly before patting them both on the back and beginning to walk away. He stopped a few feet away before turning to walk backwards to call back to them. "Oh! Good job on the match too!" Josie flushed bright red as George laughed, hugging her tightly amongst the commotion. "What does he mean war paint?" George asked as his brow furrowed in confusion. One look up at him sent Josie into a fit of giggles. "My lipstick is smeared on your face dear. And I'm sorry but it's not your color." She replied, hugging him tightly as they laughed together. "Go find Fred." He said moments later, kissing her cheek before turning to shake Harry Potter's hand hard enough to pop his shoulder out of place.

It didn't take long for Josie to find Fred; all she had to do was listen for the loud and rough voice that was yelling above the rest. Ducking between two first years she found him jumping up and down while taunting the Slytherin team as they sulked off the field. "FRED WEASLEY!" She yelled, laughing at his antics as he spun around to find the source of his name. Blue eyes met his as she moved towards him, throwing her arms around him tightly with a laugh. Pulling back to look at her, Fred laughed as he ran his finger across the corner of her mouth and stained his finger with red. "Your lipstick is smudged." He said simply, chuckling at her. "Its all over your brothers face." She replied with a smile, laughing as his brow rose in intrigue. "Better on him than you, your lips are too pretty to hide." Warmth flooded her cheeks, turning them redder than they were before. Fred's grin widened at her flustered state, the kiss he planted on her cheek helping her regain her confidence. "He's a lucky man." He flirted as he pushed hair behind her ear. With a hum of thought she decided she would play along and use the moment's excitement to her advantage. "True, but maybe we should keep you two identical."

The giggle that followed was cut short as she pressed her lips to his, feeling him chuckle deep into his chest as she pressed against him. She was vaguely aware of Georges voice hooting for them, a smirk pressing against her cheek as Fred kissed her deeply. One hand cradling the back of her head while the other wrapped around her waist, he pulled her so close that the rough knit of his robes could be felt against the skin of her stomach through her shirt. The squeal that was muffled against his lips as he abruptly dipped her drew a loudly laugh from George and a chuckle from Fred as he moved her; turning her body parallel to the ground, the heel of her boot digging into the grass as he leaned over her. She felt so light, full of joy and tenderness that lifted everything from her shoulders and allowed her to be utterly herself. Her emotion fed off theirs, the wild excitement and pride that filled them warming her to her core. She only hoped she could do the same for them when they needed it. He nibbled at her lip before pulling away and righting her, keeping an arm around her waist as he led her back towards the center of the roaring crowd to join in the celebrating with a grin stained red.

Josie hugged Oliver, who was shaking he was so happy, before joining Marina in kissing him on each cheek to leave large red marks. The other girl had almost had a fit when she saw Josie's smeared lipstick, quickly fixing it and beginning to scold her before she saw the twin's red faces. She quickly stopped talking with a grin and a wink to her before scurrying off to find Lee. The students were alive with joy, throwing themselves onto each other and cheering at the top of their lungs on the way back up to the castle after Madam Hooch kicked them off the field. Gryffindor house had never been as wild as it was on the field that day; except for maybe at the party that was held later that night


	35. Voulez-Vous

After dinner that night the entirety of Gryffindor house gathered in the common room, the walls bursting at the seams from the sheer size of the celebration; even Percy Weasley was ignoring his duties as head of house to allow the festivities, despite how wild they were sure to get. Exams were just around the corner, so everyone had lept at the opportunity to have a little fun before they all locked themselves away in the library for the weeks to come. The radio was blaring music from some indiscriminate wizarding station, the guitar from what sounded to be a rock band echoing off the walls only to be drowned out by the thunder of voices. Buckets of ice and Butterbeer decorated tables alongside spreads of food, sweets and candy supplied by a trip to the Hogwarts Kitchen and Honeydukes cellar by two very energetic Weasleys.

Josie had been dragged up to their dorm by Marina immediately following dinner, the animagus tearing through Josie's and her own trunks of non-uniform clothing to find something for each of them to wear; much to Josie's dismay the other girl insisted she pick out them each things to wear that would draw attention. Now here she was, smoothing down the pleats of the skirt cascading over her thighs and tapping the hard heel of her flats on the hardwood floor in time to the music while Fred and George loudly recapped the game from their point of view to a group of wide eyed first years.

Fred was in the middle of re-enacting him throwing his club at the back of the Slytherin beaters head, armed fully with Butterbeer bottle Beaters bat, when whistles ran through the common room, starting at the rear corner and rippling back with fading volume. Never one to miss out on anything worth attention; the twins quickly barreled their way through the crowd with Josie in tow close behind. Breaking through the thick line of students Josie's eyebrows rose into her hairline when she saw who was occupying the chair shoved into the corner, the twin's hoot of appreciation drowning out her gasp of pleasant surprise.

Lee Jordan had his arms wrapped tightly around the girl laid across his lap, bright red high tops and dark smooth legs thrown over the chairs arm as Marina gripped the back of his neck to keep him locked in the kiss even though he was grinning at the crowd's reaction. Josie felt her cheeks flush at their situation, giggling softly as they pulled apart to smile at each other. The twins clapped loudly, whistling for Lee as their each wrapped an arm around her.

"Finally he gets a girl, only took him five years." Fred joked. "Oi! Look who's talking!" Lee called back, wrapping his arms around the girl in his lap as Fred and George leaned against the wall on either side of him. "That's only because they were dorky looking devils until this year-" Oliver started from his place sitting on the table near them, a half empty bottle of Butterbeer hanging from his fingers. "Now they're just slightly better looking devils." Josie interrupted, smiling cheekily at Fred as she sipped her drink and ducked away from his playful swat. Oliver chuckled, shaking his head at their antics before continuing. "You Lee, just have a big mouth. " Lee scowled at Oliver's statement, the expression harsher as Marina collapsed into a fit of giggles. "So does she!" Lee's voice rose as he pulled Marina closer and poked her in an attempt to make her stop laughing, earning a smack in the back of the head.

"That why you work well together." Josie replied, smiling at the grin and stuck out tongue Marina gave Lee. They were too sickeningly perfect for each other, their personalities meshing to create a truly dynamic relationship. She could only hope people saw that in her relationship with the twins like she saw it in their relationship. As she watched as Fred and George joked with Oliver and Lee, their smiles keeping her eyes locked to their faces as the four boys teased each other back and forth she felt her heart grow light. Her eyes followed the lines that indented their skin as their teeth bared in amusement, drawn to the lines of their lips as they talked and distracted by the glint in their eyes when they glanced her way. Her hair swung to brush her cheeks as she turned her head from them, the heat in her cheeks furthering her embarrassment at being caught.

"You were staring." Oliver commented as he leaned next to her place propped against a long high table moved against a wall. Clearing her throat and brushing the stray hair from her eyes she looked at him, attempting to diffuse the awkward situation in the best way she knew. "So were you if you noticed." She joked, swirling the remaining punch in her cup. Wood chuckled, taking the cup from her fingers and nodding towards the table full or refreshments. "Can I get you some more?" he asked politely, watching her expectantly as he waited for her answer. "Oui, thank you." She replied softly, turning back to watch Lee playfully chase the twins around the table over a joke taken too far. Laughing as Fred nearly tripped over a table leg, she graciously took the cup from Oliver upon his return.

"Oi! That's our job." George called, grinning widely as Josie rolled her eyes. "Yeah? Well you're bloody terrible at it." Oliver replied, smiling at Josie in good humor before walking off to talk to the other seventh years that had gathered around the chessboard. "He's too old for you!" George joked, elbow bumping into her side as he nudged her. "He's too tame for me." She replied, smiling up at him playfully and leaning up to press her lips gently against the corner of his mouth, his lips quirking in a smirk at her actions. The tip of his nose brushed against her skin as he turned to place a kiss on her flushing cheek, pressing his forehead against her temple before drifting to rest his lips against her ear. The intake of breath was cut off by Marina jerking Josie away by the wrist, dragging her out to the clearing in the middle of the common room as an all too familiar song began to play.

Josie rolled her eyes as muggle and half-blood girls flooded the area, the voice of ABBA playing through the radio as most of the purebloods watched in confusion. The stares drove nervousness down her spine, her lip catching between her teeth and her eyes darting helplessly between Marina and the rest of the group. She only managed a smile when Marina began to loudly sing along to the song, bumping her hips against the thicker girl's until she finally broke down and joined in her fun. Heads turned when the animagus's voice broke over the sound pouring from the speakers, Marina belting out the chorus of "Voulez Vous" alongside the melody as she threw her hands into the air. Josie glanced towards the twins, watching as they leaned against the wall next to Lee and crossed their arms as they watched. Josie's eyes met Fred's as he winked, sending a flush across her cheeks and a spark of confidence through her heart.

It didn't take much more of Marina's prodding to get Josie moving along to the beat with her, her hips rocking with the music as her friend's hands gripped hers and swung her around excitedly. Josie could not have cared less as the straps of her bra slipped down her shoulder and her skirt swung around her thighs. Even if she wasn't the best at non-traditional dancing, she still had fun doing it. She had danced to this song many times at her Aunt's house, Andrea often forcing Paxton into the kitchen with them as they sang loudly to the music and jumped along the hardwood floor. Josie's found herself returning to that place of ease, another glance to the twins spurring her on out of her apprehension and into the relaxed confidence she soon fell into.

"You're saying it wrong!" Josie spoke loudly in Marina's ear, causing the other girl to turn to look at her with an amused raise of her brow. "You sing it then!" She yelled back, nudging her shoulder into Josie's before continuing to twist herself to the beat. "I dare you!" The addition to Marina's sentence rose Josie's eyebrows upward, a small smile quirking upward at the edges of her lips. It didn't take but one more time of Marina butchering the French lyrics for Josie to take over for her, giggling loudly as her friend leaned her back against her own and rocked herself into her as Josie corrected her pronunciation in a half singing half spoken voice while leaning back against her.

Marina smiled widely at her and winked, causing the other girl to grin before disappointment rose in her as the song ended and the crowd grew as a slow song began to drift through the room. Lee took Marina's hand and drew him to her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she circled his shoulders in hers. Everyone separated into couples so quickly Josie found herself on the edges of the makeshift dancefloor, fingering the sleeves of her shirt as she watched with a small smile on her face.

She couldn't help but look around for the twins again, not spotting their shaggy ginger hair anywhere through the crowd. The familiar pang of jealousy stung her as she watched Lee twirl Marina over-zealously, catching sight of Bijou with a very tall and larger set boy and Oliver with a very small and pretty blonde swaying awkwardly in the outskirts of the group. Once again she looked around for them; blue eyes only catching sight of Percy's ginger hair playing chess in a corner in her search.

"Looking for someone?" voices asked in unison behind her, her body turning slowly to look up at matching grins that sparked a third one from her lips. "How long have you been there?" she asked, tucking hair behind her ear and stepping closer towards them to get out of the way. "Long enough to notice you're looking for someone." Fred replied cheekily, smiling down at her as he wrapped his fingers around her wrist. The three glanced between each other for a few moments before Josie formed the strength to ask them what she wanted to. "Do you want to-"Her head nodded towards the couples before she continued. "-dance or something?" she finished, biting down on her lip awkwardly as she waited for their reply. "We'd love to-" "-but we've got a better idea."

Fred pulled her towards the boy's staircase as George picked up a bag from under a table, slinging it over his shoulder with a wink at her as the three disappeared up the stairs and into their room. Josie had barely hit the soft comfort of the scarlet blankets on George's bed where Fred had swung her laughing by her hand before her cheeks were captured between his hand and his lips were pressed against hers. Her air was caught in her throat by her surprise, releasing slowly as he pulled away from her long enough to shift his position on the bed to swing her legs over his before kissing her again. Soon she was melting into him, her hands gripping the front of his shirt and her lips moving back against his as her wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her against him. The kiss was innocent enough in its beginning, but the fierceness that she felt through his skin rattled her to her core. Probably just left over adrenaline from the match or excitement from the party. She told herself that over and over as his lips moved against hers, drawing a soft moan from her lips as he sucked hers between his.

She had just began to feel light headed when the bed behind her sunk in, her back becoming pressed against muscle as George wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed the tip of his nose against the back of her neck. Parting just enough to take a breath she looked up at the elder twin in front of her, contrasting irises locking with the each other as Fred raised a brow playfully and pressed his forehead against hers.

"This alright?" he asked softly, watching her as she chewed her already swelling bottom lip and stared back at him. George stilled behind her, fingers rubbing at her sides gently as he waited for her answer. "I-uhm" she began, stuttering over her words before closing her eyes tightly and nodding. "Yes." She finished softly, feeling a smirk on her skin as George pressed his lips to the back of her neck. She had barely taken a breath after she spoke that Fred was kissing her once again, lips pressing against hers deeply as the two boys pressed her body between theirs. Her hands found their way into his hair, pulling him closer as her heart began to pound in her chest. Their ability to play off each other never ceased to amaze her, George finding a spot behind her ear that sent sparks down her spine and drew a soft moan from her just in time for Fred to slip his tongue into her mouth. Josie began to feel fully lightheaded as George began to suck behind her ear, trailing his fingers over her ribcage as Fred flicked his tongue against hers.

Each of them alone was enough to send her to the floor with quivering legs and flushed cheeks, but the two of them together had her heart hammering in her ears, her skin flushed from her nose to her breasts, and her thighs twitching with anticipation. She didn't have the concentration to question how far this may go, her thoughts broken by their actions as hands slid to her hips to tease the hem of her shirt and kisses were peppered down the sides of her neck by both boys. Raking her fingers through Fred's hair her back arched into him as he nipped along her jugular to cause her breath to hitch and her body to shudder.

She didn't know why they had chosen to pounce on her with their powerful duality now, but bloody hell it felt amazing. Incomparable to any fleeting daydream she indulged in, the twins sent fire burning through her nerves to scorch her insides. The heat that was building under her shirt was becoming unbearable, sweat dripping down the curve of her lower back as she gripped desperately to the fabric of Fred's shirt as he sucked at the junction of her neck and George turned her head to kiss her with enough force to bruise her lips. The groan that slipped from his throat sent shivers down her spine and made her aware of the fact that she herself was making near constant noise in response to their ministrations. Attempting to quiet herself she took George's lip between her own and sucked gently, only succeeding to draw another groan from him and have him press into her harder and slide his tongue against her lips before flicking it against her own. Josie had become too lost in the lips locked against hers to recognize the calloused fingers brushing against the malleable skin of her thighs, the tips of Fred's long digits brushing the fabric of her skirt as his teeth worked against the skin of her collarbone. It only became obvious to her when she pulled away from George with flushed cheeks and soft gasps for air, her heart racing as she struggled to still her quivering limbs.

"Are you alright?" George asked softly, brushing his nose against hers as he rubbed her sides reassuringly. "We didn't give you an attack, right?" Her hair bounced against her cheeks as she shook her head quickly. "No, it's not the same." She stuttered softly, tugging at the collar of her shirt and swallowing hard. "It's-uhm-really warm; perhaps we should-"She didn't get to finish her sentence before the both of them were pulling back away from her. Her heart throbbed painfully at the sudden loss of contact, but the sensation soon changed as wide eyes glancing between them as the each reached behind their heads to pull their shirts off in two swift, matching motions.

"What's gotten into you?" she asked a little too loudly, her voice rising to a squeak as they pressed themselves back against her. Their chuckles sent shivers down her spine as she tried to keep her eyes from looking at them, failing miserably due to George taking her jaw between his fingers and turning her to meet his gaze. "Do you want us to stop?" he asked, softly staring into her dilated pupils. Stuttering with her thoughts until her heart began to beat again; she squeezed her eyes shut tightly before shaking her head. Gripping the back of his neck with her fingers she kissed him deeply, hesitantly pressing herself into his now bare chest as his brother soothingly ran his fingers over her shoulders.

Minutes of heated kissing later, she found herself pulled farther up onto the bed with her tongue occupied once again by George's and her fingers buried in Fred's hair; pulling as he nipped and sucked at her earlobe. Her breathing ragged, she moaned loudly into his lips when the spot behind her ear George had worked at earlier was taken by Fred; lips and tongue tracing over the already hyper-sensitive skin. Josie was dazed, aware of everything and nothing else but them all at the same time. She was overwhelmed, but it only made her crave more of their hands, lips, teeth and tongue against her skin. Fingers traced down her spine before slipping under her shirt to run across the bare skin there, the touch sending a shudder rocking through her intense enough to arch her back. Cool air hit her flesh as her shirt was nudged upward, goosebumps rising as the chill cooled the beads of perspiration on her back and chest that was exposed as both boys lifted the shirt over her head and threw it haphazardly into a corner.

As soon as Josie could see past the red fabric again her arms were around her stomach, apprehension finally finding its way into the pit of her stomach and her throat tightening in worry as they looked at her. Glancing between them her heart stopped beating, the look in their eyes as they stared at her sending too many emotions through her for her to keep up with. That devious glint, the competitive glare, the caring crinkle at the corner of their eyes, and another part of it that she didn't have a clever name for yet; all of them flickering over her body to meet her eyes paired with a soft smile. Gentle hands gripped her forearms to slowly pull her hands away from hiding the swell of her stomach.

"Stop that." They said in unison, kissing the palms of her hands before moving closer. Her heart beat so loudly in her ears it almost drowned them out. "Why are you trying-" "to hide from us?" "We know what you look like." "And we bloody love it." Her lips became captured by Fred's as he kissed her roughly, pushing her down to hover over her and work his lips against hers while George kissed across her now exposed chest and shoulders. Hesitantly her hands found their way to their chests, feeling the rise of their skin with their chuckling at her twitching fingers. The contact of their skin under hers sent more painfully overwhelming warmth pulsing in her pelvis, hard muscle contracting under her fingerprints as hands came to rest on her hips and waist. She tugged at Fred's hair as he nipped at her lip, a soft sound rumbling in his throat.

"Bloody hell Josie-" Fred groaned as he broke the kiss between them to move down her neck towards the swell of her breasts rising from the top of her plain scarlet bra, George taking his turn thoroughly battering her lips as he slipped a hand behind her knee to pull it around his waist. He had barely kissed her long enough for her to need to come up for air that a knock on the door caused all of them to stiffen, Fred's lips pausing over the heated skin near the line of her bra. "Sod off." George growled dangerously with a heated glance towards the door. Josie whimpered softly in embarrassment and need, George drawn back to her to press his forehead against hers and kissing her gently. Josie nuzzled into his neck, kissing it gently and smiling into the skin as he stiffened. "Hold on!" They called together, each placing a kiss on her cheek before helping her into a sitting position.

Josie was both heartbroken and thankful they didn't continue after that, as much as she longed for more the embarrassment of someone knowing what they were doing would have ruined the mood for her. Slipping on their clothes, the Josie laid across the bed once again as Fred went to open the door to let the intruders in.


	36. Bruises And Bitemarks

Marina and Lee waltzed into the room like they lived there, which was in fact partially true, but the phrase released Josie's frustration. Each of them held a knowing smirk as they fell back onto Lee's bed in a tangle of limbs. The twins sat on either side of Josie, George's shirt now fully on as Fred finished tugging his down over his hips. "Having fun?" Marina asked playfully, setting her cup of punch on the floor as she hung herself upside down from the bedside. Josie wanted to hit her. "Loads." she sighed back as she settled in between the twins, and pulled her legs to her chest in order to hide her awkwardness. Her heart still hadn't settled back into a normal rhythm, and the teasing touches George was trailing along her spine under the back of her shirt were not helping the flush on her cheeks fade. One look up into his eyes told her that was his intention.

"What do you two want?" Fred asked as he grabbed the bag George had brought with them earlier towards him and opened it, rustling through its contents. "Wanted to hang out with my best mates, besides most everyone is going to bed anyway." Lee answered. "Wonderful." Was the reply he got as boxes of taffy were thrown to him. "Selfish pricks." Lee joked as he nodded to the bag of sweets and foods they had kept for themselves, earning another box of taffy to the side of the head as Fred fell back onto the bed and kicked his feet up to rest against the bed post. "They deserve sweets after you insisted we walked in on what was probably the most sexually frustrating moment of Josie's life."

The twin's heads both snapped in her direction, eyebrows raised and that devious glint that had faded upon their interruption igniting again. Josie felt their eyes on her as she stiffened, eyes widening around still dilated pupils that shot to the animagus's face. Feeling her mouth grow dry from embarrassment she swallowed hard before her expression turned to one of disbelieving mortification as she spoke. "Marina! Th-"the other girl crumpled into a fit of giggles at Josie's stuttering yell. "That is completely- That's just- You shouldn't say things like that!" Looking away, she rubbed her arms to release the tension that had built up as Lee and Marina howled on the opposite bed, falling over each other.

"Now at least we know it's true." Fred chuckled from beside her. "Obviously!" Lee called from his place thrown across Marina's lap. Josie's throat closing up kept her from saying anything else embarrassing, forcing her to settle with a frustrated yell as she buried her face into her hands and folded in on herself to hide her shame. She only moved when their laughing had died down and hands made their way around her waist, pulling her back between a long set of legs as a chin settled itself on her shoulder. She looked up to find George smiling at her, eyes warm and crinkled at the corners from his grin. The room fell into comfortable silence, the five teenagers picking open candy wrappers and just enjoying each other's company for once until they one by one decided to go to bed.

The next morning Josie was awake long before she opened her eyes, pulling the covers up over her chin and curling into the bodies pressed on either side of her. She only opened her eyes when one of them shifted behind her to shush Lee and Marina chattering in the bed next to them. Sure her bangs were matted to her forehead and her hair sticking out she ran her fingers through the stands before she attempted to sit up. As soon as she shifted at all Fred's arm tightened around her waist, pulling her down into his chest as he rolled onto his back. Marina stifled her laughter as Josie pleaded with her eyes for help, her cheek pressed against the hard body beneath her. George only laughed at her attempt to wriggle out of his grip, Fred's act of pretending to be asleep breaking as he smiled at her actions. Her freedom was found when she poked his sides enough to get him to loosen his grip, slipping out from under his arms. Kissing each twin gently before leaving out the door, Josie followed Marina back into their own dorms; glad everyone was already at lunch so no-one could stop to question their ruffled states.

Josie had just begun to button up her shirt when loud laughter burst through the room, startling her enough that her boots thudded on the hardwood when she landed and turned to see who was causing such noise. Marina was doubled over her bed, holding her stomach as she crumpled into a fit of giggles and pointed a painted nail in her roommate's direction. "What?" her voice rose over Marina's laughter due to her surprise, Josie's hand quickly clamping over her mouth in embarrassment. "I knew you had a good time last night, but I didn't think it went THAT well!" Marina said as she moved to push Josie's hair behind now flushing ears with a wink, bright eyes flickering over the shorter girl's neck in interest. "What are you talking about?" the question hung in the air as Marina stepped back to raise an eyebrow; her lips quirking into a smirk as she spoke. "The twins."

That was all it took to send Josie bolting to the mirror, light eyes growing wide and a small shriek echoing through the halls as she saw what Marina was talking about. Red and purple marks dotted her otherwise pale skin, trailing from her jawline all the way to the swell of her breasts that rose above the line of her bra. Most of them were small, light, or easily hidden but one stood out from its place hidden behind her ear. "I'm going to kill them!" Josie exclaimed, her voice cracking halfway through her irritation as she examined the dark purple, galleon sized mark that peeked out from under her hairline. Her body shook with memories of the night before as she ran her fingers over it, wincing as she pressed experimentally on the sore skin. Anxiety of covering it flooded her, pushing away the slight giddiness at the thought they would want a mark like that on her for everyone to see.

"What am I supposed to do?" She squeaked, turning to Marina as she quickly unbuttoned her shirt to change. "Lay low?" was her sarcastic response, drawing a loud sigh of irritation from Josie before she began to rummage their roommate's things. Josie busied herself with finishing getting dressed, grumbling loudly as she realized the turtleneck she had traded for her blouse didn't cover four of them, including the one behind her ear. Marina pulled her to sit on her bed as she opened a compact from what Josie assumed was Catherine's makeup bag, and began to apply makeup over the mark in an attempt to hide it. After what felt like ages of Josie awkwardly tilting her head, Marina closed the small silver case and stepped away. "Well that fixed it a bit, but you can still see the dark one through the makeup." She commented as she once again began to move about the room.

"Wonderful. I'm staying here all day." Josie huffed as she fell back onto the mattress, bouncing slightly before settling into the sheets with her face hidden under a nearby pillow. "Your boyfriends snogged you so hard your lips are still swollen, AND our team won the cup if you've forgotten." Josie could hear her moving about. "We're throwing all of that into everyone's faces; you're going downstairs." The pillow was removed from Josie's face as she was jerked upward to finalize Marina's statement. A bright crimson knit scarf was thrown around her neck, flipped hair pulled from underneath it by coffee colored hands before they pat Josie's head. "There now get up; I'm starving, you've had nothing but a few sweets since the supper you picked at last night, and we have boyfriends to see." She drew out the ending to "boyfriends" longer than needing, causing Josie to crack a smile at her joke on her relationship. Reluctantly, Josie stood and allowed herself to be led downstairs by her friend, nuzzling her face down into the scarf and smiling when George's scent filled her lungs.

They walk down to the Great Hall was one of the more nerve wracking experiences of Josie's life; even more so then when she had tripped and fell down half a staircase the first week of class. She stiffened every time someone looked her way, Marina's cheerful greetings to nearly everyone who passed drawing more attention to the two of them than Josie was comfortable with. She was met with questioning looks from all four boys sitting at the table, the twins' expressions quickly changing to smug, flirtatious grins when they seemed to realize why Josie was wearing the attire she was.

The twins split apart to allow Josie to sit between them, both of them lacing fingers with hers to squeeze them playfully as they wished her a good morning. Her muffled good morning was drowned out as Lee began to rattle off about a fight that had broken out on the second story landing as they were walking down for lunch. Marina squished herself between him and Alicia to hear the story, the two girls playfully arguing over the small space as Josie tried to keep her eyes down from the prideful looks of the twins and the analyzing gaze of Oliver wood. She dreaded when he would question her, she wondered if he knew, she wanted to just curl up into the twins and die from embarrassment.

"Are you cold? A little warm in here for a scarf, isn't it?" the Quidditch captain questioned, thick brow raised and elbows braced against the table as he reached for another drumstick. The twins tried to stifle their laughter besides her, failing and breaking down when Josie firmly shoved her elbows into each of their sides. Josie's eyes grew wide from the comment, her mind racing for a response as Fred and George offered no help as they howled. She knew if she didn't think of something quick that everyone would know. If everyone knew, she would be embarrassed enough to want to shove herself inside a caldron. The wood of the bench pressed into her thighs as she shifted in her seat, beginning to put food on her plate to stall for time. Mind racing for a response, she finally settled on an answer. "Can't I wear my boyfriend's scarf because I want to?" she finally asked, raising a brow at Oliver as her hands shook while she poured a goblet of water.

"Not when it's to hide their marks." Lee interjected, Josie almost losing her grip on the pitcher as the twins shook with chuckles beside her and Oliver's jaw dropped a little father than usual. Feeling herself growing hot, hands quickly covered her quickly flushing cheeks and wide eyes. Arms wrapped around her waist as the twins closed in on her, breath brushing against her neck and sending shivers down her spine as they spoke. "Let us see!" they chimed together, prying Josie's hands away from her face to meet her eyes. If they knew what they were doing, Josie was going to hit them for it. One look into their eyes changed her forming exclamation of no into a stutter, the smug and almost yearning look in their eye turning her defiance to mush.

"Didn't you see it this morning?! Hell, you could see it last night when she went to sleep. It's brutal." Lee continued as Josie pushed back her hair as discreetly as possible while Fred tugged down the side of the scarf he knew the mark was on, earning him a frustrated look from Josie. George leaned around her, his chest pressed against his back as his hands gripped her waist so he could look. Both boys dug their finger into her side tighter, grinning widely as she flushed bright red and quickly hid it again.

"I thought it was going to be darker than that." Fred said with a smile. "It is. I just covered it in makeup." Marina said through a mouthful of bread, laughing when Lee stuck is tongue out at her in false disgust. "I do not want to know about you three's sex life." Oliver said as he stood up from the table with a nod, Josie turning even redder with embarrassment as she curled into George to hide her face in his shoulder. "Because you don't have one." Fred replied, fingers still gripping Josie's side. "Neither do you." Marina retorted, a smile tugging at the corner of Josie's lips as her friend came to the rescue of releasing her embarrassment. "That you know of." Was all Josie heard Oliver reply to Fred's statement, a thump sounding behind her causing Josie to lift her head to find Oliver's napkin splayed across Fred's face. The table quickly began to roar with laughter, Josie shaking with giggles as she fell over onto Georges lap holding her stomach as her embarrassment disappeared.

She found herself later wrapped in George's arms by the lake while Fred skipped stones off the newly unfrozen surface. Her skin rose in goosebumps as his hands slipped under her shirt to rest on her stomach for warmth, the air still chilly enough to bite in the wind. They were quiet, George making rare comments on Fred's capability only to earn taunts back, Josie laughing softly at their antics. Her body relaxed into the firm chest behind her, hands slowly running over her hips and lulling her into a daydream of twisted limbs. Just as she was playing images of the twin's teeth on her neck and her fingers tangled into her hands she became aware of the very real lips pressing into her skin, a shiver running down her spine as she turned to look at George behind her.

"Oh now you pay attention!" he teased, pulling her closer and planting a kiss on her cheek. Upon looking around she realized Fred had sat himself down in front of her, now caught up in staring at her with a grin. "What is it?" She asked softly, flushing at the thought that they had been sitting there watching her while she daydreamed. "We want to see them. Actually see them." Fred said bluntly, his chin resting in his hand. Confused on why they would want to do such a thing, Josie tilted her head before questioning. "Why?" Her question was lost on the wind due to its softness, her legs shaking slightly as Fred sat up to push between them and take her cheeks between his hands. His lips were on hers briefly, her bottom lip trapped between his as he broke away. "Because we made them-" "-and we always like to see-" "-the product of our handiwork." They said with a wink, Fred sitting back on his knees to smile at her. "Not to mention it's bloody attractive." George added behind her. "It is?" Her question caused them to shake with chuckles, George shifting against her back to lean around her so he could look her in the eye.

"Well yeah, of course it is." "Don't tell us you already forgot how you got them." "Or that you didn't enjoy it as much as we did." Josie rolled her eyes at their teasing, leaning back against George's chest to look between them. "I'm sorry, but have you met yourselves? Of course I enjoyed it." She joked, smiling when George squeezed her tighter and Fred laid himself between her legs, head resting on her as he stretched himself out. "Go on." They said together, matching smirks sending her into a fit of flushing. "I-I don't know what you want me to say. You were there after all." She replied, her words stuttering out from between her lips. "We know." The three of them fell silent, looking between each other as the wind blew Josie's hair against her cheeks and the sun began to sink towards the edge of the lake. Nudging Fred off her thighs as the sky began to dim; Josie stood up and turned to look at them with hands planted on tilted hips. "Well come on then, if you want to see them I'll have to wash this makeup off." She said before turning on her heels and heading back up towards the castle, smiling to herself as she listened to them scramble to their feet and jog up the hill to catch up to her.

Settling them-selves in the second floor girl's lavatory, Josie sat on the edge of the sinks her boots swinging inches away from the floor as George ran water on the edge of his sleeve. Standing between her legs while Fred leaned against the porcelain next to her, George pulled the scarf from around her neck. The entire moment felt heavy around her, Josie's heart racing as the cold water and thick knit met the sensitive skin of her neck. The feeling pulled a sharp gasp from her lips as she shuddered so hard she teetered on the edge of sink, falling forward into his chest as Fred's arm wrapped around her waist to steady her. It was almost torture to keep from making any sound, her lip caught between her teeth until it was done. Blue eyes fluttered open to meet theirs, watching as their gazes shifted from her own to the pale skin of her neck. Her mouth went dry as she watched their expressions change, pupils dilating much similar to the night before as an almost inaudible groan met her ears as she watched Fred lean down to press his lips over the area.

"Bloody hell." He muttered as he pulled away, smirking wide enough she thought his face would crack. "Didn't think it would be that dark." The comment forced a laugh out of her, not being able to keep herself from smiling as she looked up at them. "You're kidding, I was afraid I had been dating vampires from how you both attacked me." She said through her giggles, leaning her head against Georges shoulder as she shook. "Not our fault." "We can't help it." "We can't keep our hands off you." Both of them shifted, her chin caught between fingers to be lifted so they could look down at her with those devious grins. "Besides, you wouldn't want us any other way." They said together, her cheeks flushing as they each kissed her cheeks. Josie's smile didn't falter as she became flustered, her eyes tilting up to meet theirs as she spoke. "No." Eye brows rose as she spoke, lips turning upward at her answer and making her stomach flutter. "Any other way and you wouldn't be you."


	37. Keep Me Where The Light Is

The next few weeks became consumed by studying for O.W.L.S., Josie spending much of her time in the library slaving away over books. Even though the tests were stressful on all the students, minus Fred and George who never seemed to be anything but cheerful, Josie felt like she was the only person being consumed by the stress. Being a transfer, if she didn't do well on the O.W.L.S. she was afraid she would be sent back to Beaubatons and lose everything she had grown to cherish. Fred and George, besides being confused at her overwhelming stress, did their best to be supportive and keep her calm; they often sat with her in silence while she studied and kept their pranks involving her to a minimum.

It was late a Monday night that Josie found herself surrounded by Astronomy books, head slamming down into the parchment in frustration. This was her worst subject, and it would be her undoing. She had been staring at the same two pages, its text littered with the same word over and over, a word she did not know the translation for, for what felt like hours. "Aperture." She kept repeating over and over, hands raking through her hair. Finally she shoved the book away from her, leaning back in her chair and sighing loudly in frustration. She hung there, arms limp at her sides and her head tilted back to stare at the ceiling for longer than she could calculate before a soft noise made her jerk her head up.

Bijou stood a few feet away, hands clasped in front of her and a worried expression on her face as she gazed at Josie. "Are you okay?" her soft voice broke through the thick silence of the library. "I'm fine, just…having trouble…" Josie sighed, letting herself fall back once again as she sighed loudly. She had really hoped to finish this chapter before she went to meet the twins for Hot Chocolate in the kitchen down below, but with how things were going it didn't seem like that was going to be an option. The silence drug on, neither of them moving until Bijou eventually decided she was going to leave. In the time it took for her to take the few steps back towards the end of the bookshelf, Josie remembered the Quidditch match.

"Wait!" she didn't need to look up to know she had startled Bijou, her squeak was enough. Sitting up in her seat correctly, Josie turned on the girl so quickly she almost fell out of her chair. "You! You speak French!" She knew she was being strange, but she was so desperate to finish this chapter she lacked the anxiety to care. Bijou hesitantly came up beside her, standing next to her and looking over her shoulder and turned back to the page she had needed help with. "I'm sorry, but I can't remember the translation for this word. I learned English casually through my father, and there are a few words I don't have practice with." She said quickly, parchment flipping between her fingers as she found the spot she needed help with. "I don't remember the translation." She finished, slumping over to set her head in her hand as she pointed to the word. Bijou leaned over to read, smiling softly before pulling back and looking at Josie. "Aperture, its…it means ouverture." She said softly, and Josie was sure she jumped when her head hit the table and she sighed in agitation. "I'm such an idiot, how did I forget that?" Lifting her head again she smiled softly at the girl before looking back at the book. "Merci, I appreciate it. Maybe now I'll be able to understand this stuff."

A few minutes later, she was once again buried in the pages groaning loudly in frustration. It turned out that the word wasn't her issue, it was the subject itself. "I'm going to fail my O.W.L.S." she sighed, crumpling down into her chair. She had entirely forgotten Bijou was still standing next to her until she spoke up, Josie nearly falling out of her chair at the sudden speech. "My brother-sorry!-I mean, my brother is really good at this stuff, he's a fifth year, in Hufflepuff. He could probably help you."

Bijou's older brother was of most talkative people Josie had ever met, but his fumbling hands and raised brow made Josie suspect it was probably a nervous habit. They had gone over everything wizardingly possible on the subject of Astronomy in the last three hours, their only break coming in the form of the twins brining Josie a cup of tea and some sweets before settling next to her to fall into a conversation with the large boy that had followed her new tutor here. Her hands linked with George's wrapped around her waist as Fred discussed the finer points of why throwing your bat at other players as a beater during Quidditch should be allowed, the dark boy across from him hiding his amusement behind large hands. They boy across from her was busy with describing how to map stars, hands tracing across the dimming sky that peeked out the roof of the Astronomy tower as Josie tried to make sense of it all.

"I'm sorry I don't get it. I don't understand how star maps work or how you even know where to start mapping from." She said, sighing as she put her head in her hands. "You're stressing yourself out, you need to calm down." Henri soothed, turning the pages in her book. "Alright, look. What's constellation are you born under?" Josie raised her head to look at the boy, humming softly in confusion as she ran her fingers through her hair. "What?" The sandy haired boy smiled softly, his freckles more pronounced on his round cheeks. "You star sign, like astrology sign?" Brown eyes looked up from the pages to stare curiously into Josie's own. "Oh, you mean like Libra, Scorpio, that kind of thing?" A nod was her only answer. "Uhm, I'm not sure. I know my mother is a Virgo, she talks about It all the time while reading the paper. "When is your birthday?" Henri asked, Fred and Georges heads popping up beside her at the question. "Yeah Josie, when is your birthday?" Fred spoke, leaning over to look around George. "You know ours-" "-but you never told us yours." The two looked at her with raised brows.

"I only know yours causes its absolutely ridiculous considering who you are." She said with a smile, the corners of her lips flattening when her laughter was met only with raised brows. "It's March 14th." Josie answered quietly, confused on why it was so important. "That was weeks ago!" "You didn't tell us!" the twins cried, their voices rising over the hushed tones they'd be speaking in before. "It slipped my mind!" she hissed back, flushing in embarrassment that she'd forgotten her own birthday. "Well now we have to do something extra-" "After exams!" Josie interrupted, sending a somewhat stern look their way. "You two need to focus on them and so do I." The two quieted down after that, falling into a hushed whisper, presumably about what they were planning for her birthday. Henri laughed at the three of them, going back into talking about the stars.

"You're a Pisces." He said, setting the book between them and turning it for her to see the star map. "Alright, so that's your constellation. If you can find that one, you'll be able to find anything else. Now, find Polaris in the sky." He instructed as he began shifting slightly to let the large tan boy, who Josie remembered has been called Arya, who had come with him sit behind him with his arms around his waist. With the help of the book Josie walked her fingers across the sky until she found her way to Pisces, smiling to herself when she found you didn't have to use Polaris to find Pisces at all because it sat against the horizon. Knowing where Polaris is would help anyway she decided, and with Pisces as her base she found all the constellations she needed to know for exams over the next few weeks.

Besides tiring studying in the Astronomy tower, every moment of Josie's time was taken up by her obsessive studying. The only help was the twins who would often sit with her while she looked over rolls upon rolls of notes and study certain subjects with her. After weeks of study and many anxiety attack threats, exams finally became a reality when the schedule was posted on the board of Gryffindor common room by Percy Weasley after dinner one night. Luckily for Josie, the first exam was Charms, her sigh of relief almost enough to knock her breathless. Being her favorite and best subject, she thanked whatever witch or wizard was looking out for her that it was the first exam. Actually, her first week of exams wasn't as bad as she had imagined while lying in her bed in a state of stress. First Charms, her best subject, then Transfiguration, which she was better at from Fred's help, next Herbology, in which she was maybe slightly below average but still got by in, Defense Against the Dark Arts was easy because she had a wonderful teacher in Professor Lupin and enjoyed the subject so much, and finally Ancient Runes which she was quite good at as well. Anything practical and concrete she seemed to do well at, it was only the parts more open to interpretation that she struggled in.

The second week was terror. The first exam was Potions, the exam every upper class student (including Paxton and Percy) had been sharing horror stories of with all the 5th year students. Even through nursing a broken nose from a fight he had gotten in over a Slytherin boy making fun of Lana, Paxton was able to share with Josie how he had almost fainted in the exam when he read the first question. Luckily the question was from a day the twins hadn't been distracting Josie, so she wasn't as terrible at formulating answers as she thought she would be. Even though most of the practical part of the exams had been simple enough, Care of Magical Creatures was one that scared Josie the most. Memorizing the information was easy enough, but applying it to live creatures that may or may not be able to kill you scared Josie enough to send her into an attack hours before the exam during lunch, her throat closing up till she couldn't breathe, her hands shaking so much she dropped her goblet, she had to be escorted by Fred, George and oddly Oliver Wood out of the hall through the crowd of 3rd years being released from their exams so she could collect herself enough to continue eating.

"What if I mess something up or if I hurt myself, or the creature, or someone else? It would be terrible; I could be responsible for actual damage." She was rambling as she sat with her knees to her chest against the stone, her hands clutched in Georges to keep them from shaking as he ran his thumbs over her palms. As her mind continued to run over every possible horrible outcome she became aware of her name being said, snapping out of her trance of anxiety when Fred finally spoke her full name sternly. This was odd enough that it drew her attention to him, her brows raised in confusion. "Oui?" she asked softly, watching through teary eyes as he crouched down in front of her. His eyes never left hers except to glance at Oliver who had stationed himself at the end of the hallway to keep wandering students away from her. "You'll be fine. You'll do fine. You're not going to hurt anyone; you pay too much attention for that. It will be fine." He said slowly. "But what if I do, what if I fail?" she asked softly, eyes falling to stare at her shoes. "You don't have to pass every exam. You're already probably going to pass more than half the students in our year. You're not going to get kicked out because you didn't do what is nearly impossible."

The exam went well after that, Fred and George watching from up the hill as she selected what was best to feed a sick unicorn with their words echoing through her head. She may not have done brilliantly, but at least no-one was hurt; and that's all she was hoping for. The rest of the evening was spent with the twins taking turns keeping her calm while she fought the urge to re-cram for the Astronomy exam the next night, Fred and George telling her over and over through kisses that she could study all she wanted to tomorrow after she rested. The three of them ended up falling asleep in George's bed, not moving until Josie woke up the next morning with her arms wrapped tightly around Fred's waist as he cradled her head against his chest and his brother held her from behind. The flush that crept into her cheeks almost kept her anxiety about the exam at bay for a while, but one look at how high the sun was outside the window had her sitting up fast enough wake both boys. Luckily, the three of them made it down stairs in time to grab toast and get to their exam after waking up late and rushing to put on clean clothes.

The exam was not as bad as Josie had forced herself to believe it was, the written exam only consisting of listing all of Neptune's moons and the practical portion filling out a star map of the night sky using telescopes. The rest of the week's exams went pretty well. Josie, Fred, George, Lee and Marina all agreed that every one of them had just spouted garbage to Professor Trelawny for the practical portion of their Divination exam, and that Josie was probably going to be the only person in their year to pass the History of Magic exam.

The weeks after the O.W.L.S were spent doing everything possible to not think about school work. Saturday morning before the last week of school Josie woke up to Marina and Alicia throwing their selves on her bed, both fully clothed and wide awake. "Get up!" "We're going to Hogsmead!" they yelled, waking up the blonde girl fast asleep in her bed across the room. Catherine glared at the both of them before pulling the covers over her head and groaning into her pillow. "What's wrong with her?" Josie asked with a small smile, stretching before rolling herself out of bed and shuffling over to her trunk to fetch an outfit. Finally the chill of winter had completely left the grounds so she could wear the nice spring clothes her mother had gotten her over Easter. "She didn't come in until nearly 3 am last night." "She's fighting with her boyfriend." "For the eighth time this week." The two girls on her bed said back and forth. "You two need to stop that you sound like the twins." Josie laughed, hiding behind Marina's bed to change. Soon enough the three girls were walking down the stairs and out into the afternoon sun, the pastel blue floral swinging around her thighs as she tried to keep up while running down the hill. They were halfway to the small town when a whistle behind them caused Marina and Alicia to turn their heads, Josie continuing to walk forward and ignoring the sound. It's not meant for me, that never happens to me. She thought as she watched the road beneath her boots roll by, admiring the how the white socks she scrunched down around her ankles contrasted her dark boots and the gravel beneath them.

Marina nudged her in the side, snapping Josie out of her thoughts as she looked up abruptly to look at the girl. "They're whistling at you too." she said with a smile, bumping her hip into Josie's playfully. "They are not." Josie replied quickly, turning a bit red in the face at the idea of someone whistling at her. "They better be. They're your boyfriends." Josie turned around so quickly she slipped on the uneven rocks, catching herself before she could lose her balance and fall to the ground. Fred, George and Lee were all walking behind them, quickly gaining on the three girls with their longer legs. "Don't do that!" Josie said through blushing cheeks, gently elbowing George in the side as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Why not? You look cute." He said back, smiling down at her as the now growing group walked down the main street of Hogsmead. "And we like the dress." Fred added. "You three bugger off, we're going to have tea before I don't see my roommates for an entire summer. You can flirt later." Alicia exclaimed in frustration, grabbing Josie and Marina by the hands and pulling them towards overly girly tea shop. "Meet you in front of Zonkos later!" Fred called, Alicia sticking her tongue out at George as he made a face at her.

"Why are we here?" Marina questioned as they looked around the pink tea shop owned by Madame Puddifoot. "Because it's the only place those three aren't going to try and bother you two in." Alicia joked, pulling them to the back table and sitting herself down. Josie pulled a chair from another table to make the table for two fit their party of three, sitting down and listening as the two girls on either side of her began to banter. "You need a date. Why not tell Wood you've liked him since your 3rd year already?" Marina teased, placing her order to the wideset woman owner of the shop. "Because he has a girlfriend, and that ship sank months ago." Alicia replied. "Wood has a girlfriend? Since when!?" Marina exclaimed, leaning over the table. Alicia only shoot her head, laughing at the wild haired girls thirst for gossip. "Well there's always Angelina." Marina said with a waggle of her brows, sending all of them into a fit of giggles. "You're ridiculous." Alicia teased back through her laughter. The three girls soon drank their fill of tea and gorged themselves on small pastries and finger sandwiches, talking about all that had happened over the school year and what was to come in the next. Josie's stomach hurt from laughing too much and she realized how much she was going to miss the three of them, and how selfish she felt. The dread of not having Fred and George around for the next few months was weighing hard on her heart, but her life was going to be majorly lacking in friendship without Lee, Marina and Alicia around to joke with her. The thought put a damper on her good time, and she could feel Alicia watching as her smiled turned downward slowly. "All right, I've had enough of you two for a year. Go find your idiots." She said with a smile, handing each of them a small paper with her address for letters written on it. "See you next year!" Marina said as she paid for her tea and bolted out the door. "Thank you Alicia." Josie said softly, eyes widening when the Quidditch player took her into a hug and patted her back. "Don't worry about it. I'll see you next year." She said with a smile, nudging Josie towards the door.

Fred and George were leaning against the front window, shuffling through a bag and joking back and forth. The quickly stopped when she walked up, smiling at her and grabbing her hands to pull her into the Three Broomsticks and into a booth. "Here." Fred said, pushing a small red bag towards her as a grin split his face. The twins stared at her, smiling as she opened the bag and pulled out the small bottle inside. "What's this?" she asked, looking at the colorful mix of powder at the bottom of the bottle. "It's your birthday present." "Now put it back in the bag and don't open it until you miss us." Josie laughed at their antics, placing the bottle back in the bag and laughing as she lay against Fred shoulder. The three of them laughed about the years and flirted in the back of the pub until they were kicked out, Josie drinking enough Hot Chocolate to fill her grandmother's bathtub. She was going to miss them, but she had come to accept the fact that they weren't going anywhere when they were apart.


	38. Put Your Hands On Me

The morning of the last day of Hogwarts the list of O.W.L.S were posted on the board, and Josie was the first one to find her name. She had hardly slept at all the night before, the realization that she wouldn't be seeing the twins everyday sending her into the anxiety attack of a life time. After returning to her room once she had finished spending the evening with the twins, she lay crying into her pillow before falling asleep. She didn't sleep long, waking up in the early hours of the morning as the moon began to sink down towards the horizon. She ended up curled up on the couch of the common room, nuzzled into George's sweater and staring into the fire as her throat closed up from the fear of going back to her old self over the summer.

She was still there when Percy Weasley wandered down from the boy's dormitory looking proper as ever at the break of dawn. He took one look at Josie's tear stained, puffy eyed, shaking state and turned around to walk back up the stairs before she could even say good morning. Minutes later and no sound came from the dark stair well, Josie's hopes that Percy would have the sense to go fetch his brothers died with the embers of the fire and she decided to go back upstairs to change into her uniform before she embarrassed anyone else. She returned later, bright eyed Marina following behind her as Josie straitened her tie. Walking into the common room with Marina chattering behind her about what she was going to do over the summer; Josie noticed a change in the room since she left. Quickly running over to inspect the papers now tacked to the wall of the common room, she realized they were the exam results and a chill went through her. Soon she felt people around her as she scanned the list for her name, arms coming around her waist as a kiss was placed on the side of her skull.

"Good morning, are you alright?" Fred said in her ear. "Percy came and woke us up at the break of dawn, said you were down here but when we came down you were gone." George added, linking a hand in hers and looking along the list with her. "I'm fine. Just didn't sleep much." She said softly, not daring to tell them why she was up so early in the morning. They left her alone after they were interrupted by Hermione Granger rushing up to the board to find her name, the wild haired girl pushing in between Fred and Josie with a loud "Excuse me!". Soon after, the three found their own names, Josie full of relief when she saw that she had not completely failed any of her exams and that she had gotten O.W.L.s in Charms, Ancient Runes, History of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts. The twins had both grabbed a few O.W.L.s as well, and that fact along with her own achievements brightened Josie's outlook on the day immensely.

The rest of the day seemed too long, even for the last day with the twins. Josie knew that she could spend forever with them and never get tired of it, but the impending departure tomorrow morning had her day dragging on painfully. The three of them lay around by the lake after breakfast, skipping stones and watching to see if the creatures in the water would surface one last time before they left for the summer. It wasn't until after getting up to wander the edges of the Forbidden Forest before lunch that she noticed the twins watching her more closely than usual. She had caught them looking at her at breakfast, but it wasn't something that was completely out of the ordinary. Thinking back Josie often caught them slyly looking at her during the first few months of their knowing each other, but they hadn't done it the same way since they had settled into their relationship. Yet today, she had caught them more than once turning to look away when she looked up. And now that she was here, stepping on the roots of the winding trees in a humorous attempt to balance, she looked up to catch the both of them stopped feet behind her. One look at their hands shoved into their pockets and their raised brows, and she realized something was going on as dread hit her.

"All right, what's up?" She asked, stepping off the roots to lean against the rough bark of the tree. The look the two gave each other showed Josie's worries were a reality, the two of them leaning on the tree on either side of her. "Percy told us you were crying this morning." "We know something is wrong." The silence between them grew stiff, painful until it finally broke along with Josie. "I don't want to leave." She said softly, wrapping her arms around herself against a nonexistent chill. "Why?" George asked, leaning into her with a worried look. "Your mother's brilliant." "Your dad's supportive." Fred added. "Your neighbors give you free pastries." "You live somewhere nice." "But you two aren't there." Josie interrupted, pushing off the tree to turn and look at them. "And mother and father aren't always there, they work. And my mother's family is a nightmare, as are the people my age who live around there. The only decent person is a shut in who I used to play cards with in the bakery." She huffed, wandering up the hill as she shuffled her boots through the dirt. It was quiet for a long time. "Josie." "Quoi?" her voice was harsher than she intended, her hand covering her mouth as soon as she spoke. She regretted it instantly, her lack of sleep making her irritable.

"What?" the twins questioned, confused at her native language. "It means what." She answered softly, her voice almost taken away by the breeze. "It's going to be okay." "You don't need us to survive." They said, each taking a hand in theirs. "It's just the summer." "Besides-""We were going to ask mum to let you come over." "Or bribe her with pastries from your neighbors." "Either way." They grinned at her, pulling her close playfully before kissing her cheeks. "Stop worrying." Josie couldn't help but smile at them, their playful nature easing her worries as usual. "Thank you boys." She said softly as she kissed them both. "Oh, and Josie?" George said later as they walked the hill back up to the castle. He didn't answer until Josie turned too looked at him with raised brows as he and Fred shared a smirk. "You should wear that skirt more often." They said with a grin, turning her face red as she smoothed down the back of the blue plaid around her thighs.

The twins spent the rest of the afternoon after lunch dragging Josie along while they tried to pull as many pranks as possible before the ending feast. They turned an entire plate of ham sandwiches at the Slytherin table into spider sandwiches, put fireworks underneath the tapestry's so they set off when people walked buy, charmed the door to Percy's dormitory so it slammed shut every time he tried to open it, and so much more as they day went on. The only break was when Josie announced that she needed to finish packing her trunk before tomorrow morning, and the three parted ways so they could do the same. When Josie entered the room Marina was packing her suitcase as well, and the two packed in pleasant silence until Marina broke it upon closing her trunk.

"So, are you seeing the twins over the summer?" she asked with a grin, sitting on the bed as Josie picked out her clothes for the next day and her pajamas for that night. "Maybe? They mentioned something about their father possibly getting tickets to the Quidditch World Cup through the Ministry. So it may be a while until I get to see them, if I do at all." Josie replied, sighing loudly as she folded the last of her clothes. "Why don't you go too? Your dad is in the ministry." "True, but the French branch, and I do enjoy Quidditch. I just have a hard time keeping up because I'm not sure about the rules and everything. I don't think it would be a good idea to convince my dad to take me to the World Cup when I'm not that into it. He really likes Quidditch; it wouldn't be fair to him. " Josie sighed, closing the trunk and leaning on the bed. "You're at least going to write them right?" Marina said with a smile. "Of course I am. If I don't know how they're torturing Percy over the summer I'll die from curiosity." The two laughed as they finished pushing their trunks under their beds before heading out the door to go back downstairs. "You're going to write me right?" Marina abruptly asked, turning to look at Josie halfway down the staircase. "Of course, at least twice a week." Josie replied, smiling at her friend's brashness. "Well, you better go grab one last snog fest with your boyfriends before the end. You can write me about that your first letter." The animagus said with a wink, skipping out of the common room as quickly as she could with a wave behind her.

When Josie entered the twins's room the two of them were lounging across Lee's bed, taking all the clothes that he had just packed into his trunk while his back was turned. George immediately motioned for Josie to keep quiet, Lee waving a hello as he ducked under his bed to find a missing shoe. "Are you two almost done?" Josie questioned as she sat herself on Fred's bed, leaning back against the bedpost as Lee began to yell in frustration at the twins before swatting them away from his bed so he could properly finish packing. "Oi! You get to see your girl; I want to go see mine. So let me finish packing so you three can have the room!" He exclaimed before throwing Fred and George off his bed, sending the two laughing over to fall on the bed next to Josie. Lee soon enough finished packing, shoving his last pair of shoes as far down into his trunk as it could go before locking it and shoving it under the edge of his bed. "See you later." He said with a nod, winking at the twins as he left out the door.

It wasn't long after the door closed that Fred leaned over and took Josie's chin to kiss her, pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her waist to hold her tight. George chuckled at her loud squeak of surprise, her shock muffled against his brother's lips as they worked against hers. Minutes later and she was left breathless and flushed, only to have her lips taken by George as he leaned over her. Josie's broke out of her shock when his hands gripped her hips and his tongue slipped between her lips, his hands pulling her closer and body pressing down against her. Her arms wrapped around him to pull him closer, responding with passion once she realized that she may not get the chance to kiss them like this again until after the summer. With a spark of bravery she rolled the two of them over till her knees rested on the bed by his hips, smiling to herself as she felt his kiss falter in shock as she pressed herself against him. She took the opportunity to flick her tongue against his before pulling back, her lip between her teeth and her mouth pulled into a shy smile.

"Bloody hell." Fred chuckled behind her, George breaking a grin at the exclamation as Josie laughed. "You come back here." The playfulness of his tone as she was pulled back down against his chest caused Josie to nearly melt, her hands finding his shoulders as his cupped the back of her head and wrapped around her waist. Josie's flirtatious nature spiked again as the broke away minutes later, her lips quirking into a smirk as she laid her head against his shoulder. The groan that rumbled from his throat as she drug her lips down the skin of his neck and gently bit down on the junction of his shoulder drove her on to gently suck at the flesh. She didn't get to suck at the spot for long before she was rolled off, her back hitting the bed with a bounce as the twins laughed at her shocked expression. Fred leaned over her to press his lips to hers, her smile making them both laugh into the kiss as their teeth clashed. Soon their giggles faded into hums of delight was their lips moved against each other, Josie's hands finding his hair and her body shuddering as his slid down her waist to rub circles on her hips.

He bit down on her lip and her hands tugged at his hair harder than needed, a loud groan sending a shiver down her spine and between her legs; his smirk at the catch in her breath only worsened her condition. The hand on her thigh caused it to twitch away before she allowed Fred to pull it around his hip and press himself into her more as he tore his lips away from hers to suck down the side of her neck. Her eyes fluttered open to look up at George staring down at her, a small smirk on his face as she squirmed and gasped as Fred sucked on a sensitive spot above her collar bone and his fingers worked the buttons of her shirt open. "What?" she said softly, biting back a moan as teeth nipped at her skin. "Nothing, you're just….bloody gorgeous." He said with a smile, leaning down to kiss her gently as her cheeks turned red. Her hands gripped his shirt to pull him closer as he sucked her lip between his, Fred digging his fingers into her hip bones as she whimpered softly into his brother's mouth. Shaking fingers found the bottom of George's shirt, pulling it up clumsily before he pulled back to lift it over his head and toss it across the room. "You too." Josie stuttered at Fred's raised brows, watching him pull his own shirt over his head before he went back to peppering kisses along the line of her bra. Her fingers unashamedly ran over George's chest as he caught her lips between hers again. The muscles twitching under her fingers as they explored the newly open skin drove her on, allowing every noise she made to remain unrestrained as it seemed to drive them forward. Fred caught her lips as George pulled back, her body tensing as she felt something press against her thigh as he leaned over. Her body burned upon realization of what was happening, the idea that she was the one who caused that in him. He pulled away to look down at her, fingers ghosting the edge of her bra.

"Uhm, Josie-""Do you think that we could-""You know-""Take this off?" they said, both raising they brows with bitten lips as they looked down at her, voices rough and low despite the softness of the question. She stared at them for a long time, noticing their hair had grown shaggy over the year and that their eyes burned down into hers. Her head nodded before she realized it, eyes dragging down over George's body to glance at the bulge that had formed in his trousers with another spike of bravery. She wanted to make them feel like that, she wanted to make them frustrated and desperate as she was, and she found herself wanting them to see her as bare and pure as her feelings were for them. Sitting up, she watched as they licked their lips and cleared their throat, the actions pulling a small smile to her lips. Fred moved with her, kissing her gently as he ran his hands over her shoulders to pull off her shirt, George's fingers running down her spine to find the clasp of her bra. She didn't realized he had unhooked it until she felt the weight of her chest shift as she sat upright, her lips still pressed against Fred's. The straps of her bra slid down her arms as Fred broke away, each of them running their fingers down her arm as they nudged them downward. Getting caught on her own brassier as she pulled it off fumbled Josie's confidence, but it was quickly regained as she watched their eyes dilate and shift as their jaws dropped.

"Whoa." Was all that George muttered as his face broke into a grin. Josie immediately went to cover her chest and stomach, the plumpness of her body becoming obvious to her at their staring and embarrassment rising in her throat. Her wrists were quickly caught by Fred's hands, pulling them towards his lips as he kissed her palms. "Don't you dare, it would be a shame to go to all that trouble only to hide." He said with a wink, his eyes darting down to look over her chest as his teeth caught his lip. Fingers took her chin and tilted it up so George could press his lips against hers, the kiss rougher than their prior ones as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Can we-""-touch?" George finished against her lips, giving her no time to respond before kissing her again. "Oui." She felt herself gasp as her neck was assaulted by Fred, his lips pressing feverishly down her throat. She hadn't felt them move before calloused flesh sent shivers down her spine, their hands brushing against the skin above and below her chest as their lips worked against her. Slowly their fingers made their way to the swell of her breast, soft hums of delight pouring from Josie's throat as George moved his tongue against hers. Finally their hands covered the pale skin of her breasts, palms pressed against the sensitive peaks that had hardened in the air of the room as fingers gently dug into the skin.

"Don't take this the wrong way." Fred started as he brushed his lips against her now bruising ones, his brother kissing down her throat. "We knew you were absolutely beautiful, but bloody hell, you're absolutely beautiful." He said with a chuckle, her already flushing cheeks darkening even more. She kissed him, pulling him close and tangling her fingers into his hair to keep him there. They stayed like that, Fred kissing her lips bloody, George marking along her chest and ribcage, until her body shuddered so hard she cried out as lips wrapped around the bundles of nerves placed at the peaks of her breast, the kiss breaking. Through hooded lids she watched as George smirked up at her, kissing along her skin before dragging his tongue over it again. His eyes never left hers as she arched her back into the touch and let out a sound louder than any other she had before at the feeling. With each sensation she felt herself grow more desperate to be touched, gripping Fred's jaw to kiss him so she could muffle the noises momentarily before he broke away. Her back hit the bed as she was pushed down, the two ruffled red-heads leaning over her to cover her chest in kisses, Fred's thumb brushing over the peak to draw more noise from her. Each touch sent jolts of warmth down her stomach, her back arching involuntarily into the touch. Both of them ducked down to take each bud between their lips in unison, the warmth causing Josie's body to violently shudder. Fred and George did not let up, seemingly trying to do more as she caught her lips between her teeth to muffle herself. When she felt she couldn't take it anymore she pulled George up to slam her lips into his, kissing him desperately and pressing herself into his chest as he pulled her closer by her hips with a grip strong enough to bruise them.

With a shifting of bodies she found herself laid between the two of them, still kissing George like her life depended on it while Fred pressed himself against her back to suck and nip at her shoulders and hold their weight of her breasts in his hands, his thumbs rolling against her nipples just enough to keep her from being quiet. Their arousal became apparent as her leg was pulled over George's hip, her body crushed between theirs until no-space was left between skin and she could feel the tendons flexing as they moved. The muscles beneath her pelvis tightened at the feeling, her breath ragged as she pulled away to turn her head to catch Fred's lips, reaching back to tug him closer by his hair.

Minutes later they were jerked out of their session of tangled limbs and bruised lips by a loud rapping on the door, Lee Jordan's voice ringing through the wood was he called through. "Oi! I'm coming in and getting dressed for dinner. You can keep at it but I'm coming in." Fred retracted his hands from under Josie's skirt as he pushed himself up from the bed, walking over to lean against the door so Lee couldn't open it as George groaned loudly in frustration against Josie's lips as they lingered against hers. Jose quickly fetched her bra and shirt from the end of the bed slipping them on only to find her fingers fumbling with her shirt buttons. Rolling onto her back Josie buried her face in her hands, sighing loudly in frustrated embarrassment. Gentle hands began to button up her shirt, brushing against her stomach enough to make her twitch away and giggle as a kiss was pressed against her fingers, urging her hands to open. The pale fingers parted to reveal George leaning over her, hair still ruffled and his shirt still discarded in the corner of the room.

"Can't let Lee be seeing you like that." he said with a smile, kissing her gently before helping her sit up. "Probably couldn't handle that much beauty anyway." Fred added with a wink, stepping aside to let Lee walk into the room as George pulled his shirt over his head. "Couldn't handle what now?" Lee asked as he strolled in the room, dodging the pillow Fred tossed at his head as he fell back onto the bed. "Nice hair by the way." He added towards the three of them, her fingers quickly flattening her ruffled locks. Josie was quickly wrapped up in Fred's arms as he kissed her deeply, laughing against her lips as she squeaked and gripped onto his arm. "You should go put your robes on for the feast too you know." Lee's muffled voice called from under his bed as he dug out one of his nice shoes the twins had hid under there earlier. "You've been up here for hours, it's almost dinner time." With coaxing from George Josie wiggled her way out of Fred grip and kissed George on the cheek before heading back to her room to change into her robes, her stomach still fluttering as she rubbed the surely forming marks on her rib cage through her shirt. She climbed the staircase with shaking legs, stopping to lean against the wall as she giggled at her own thoughts.  
What a sendoff.


	39. Tomorrow Is Only A Day Away

The following morning Josie had to nearly drag herself out of bed, Catherine's chipper humming rousing the three other girls from their rest with whines of frustration. Josie had been dreaming of lying in a field of flowers, laughter from recognizable but unseen voices surrounding her as fireworks burst in the dim light of the evening sky when she was bounced from her sleep buried beneath her sheets by Marina throwing herself on the bed. "Why?" the girl beneath the fabric whined, poking tousled hair out from under the linen to playfully glare at the animagus. "Because you have to get up and get ready, I want to eat something before we have to leave." She said, tugging the sheets down as Josie sat up and stretched. The loud gasp nearly caused Josie to jump out of her skin as she whipped her head towards Alicia, who was staring wide eyed at her with a mix of shock and utter amusement. "What?" Josie asked, her voice panicked as she smoothed down her hair. It was only when she lifted her arms that she realized her shirt was askew, her stomach revealed and her straps falling off her shoulders. Quickly realizing what was wrong she moved to fix it, but her friends were faster than she was.

Marina pounced on her, pulling her hands away from the fabric of her tank and tugging the fabric to show her skin again. "Oh my Merlin you did have fun last night!" she exclaimed, Josie's eyes following the gaze that was tracing the skin of her abdomen. Marks were littered around her skin, across the swell of her breast and down the line of her ribcage in shades of purple. Feeling her skin grow hot, Josie jerked the fabric from Marina's hands to cover up the evidence from last night's escapades as she stood up to change into her uniform. "I don't want to know, they're my team mates!" Alicia exclaimed, throwing her hands up as she began to pack up her nightclothes. "If you don't write me all the details in your first letter I will send you the howler of all howlers." Marina joked, moving to change into her clothes. The girls were packed and dressed soon enough despite Catherine and Marina's constant joking about Josie's marks; all four of them looking around the small room they had come to call home in the last few months one last time before they disappeared down the staircase for the summer.

As soon as they set foot on the platform to board the Hogwarts express Josie went looking for the twins, having been placed in a separate carriage than them on the ride there. During her search she ran into Bijous older brother Henri clinging to the large boy he had brought to their studying session, Arya the Hufflepuff Quidditch team's Beater, in front of one of the doors onto the train. The smaller boy was hanging from the other with his arms around his neck, the towering height of his darker skinned companion causing him to hover above the ground. "I don't want to leave!" Henri was whining, an adorable pout set into his face and sandy hair ruffled in the breeze. "We'll see each other next semester." Arya sighed, the amused smile on his face lightening the frustration in his words. Josie thought the two of them were adorable, having been told they were dating by Henri when she questioned who he was after telling him she didn't fail her Astronomy O.W.L. They were an odd pair, but an adorable one. Edging her way around the pair she made her way onto the train, walking down the corridor until she heard a loud call of her name from the rear end of the car.

"Josie!" She spun around to find Fred and George poking their heads out from an empty car, a smile breaking her face as she headed back to slip into the car before the onslaught of first years filed in. As usual Lee sat on one side of the car, legs taking up the rest of the seat and a mouth full of sweets muffling his hello. Josie was immediately pulled down across Georges lap, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist as Fred slid the door closed and muffled their laughter. The train began to move minutes later, jerking the four forward with a loud laugh as Lee's trunk fell off from its place unsecured above his head. Josie unfolded herself from the twins as her shock faded, her body pressed against the seat by George and her feet in Fred's lap from the large jump back away from the falling luggage. "Bloody hell Lee, it's been five years!" George exclaimed, still laughing at the wide-eyed Lee who had curled into a ball in the back corner of his seat. "Hey! I'm not the one who still has one sock he can't find the match too in our room from first year!" Lee yelled back. "Because that's the same thing." Josie said with a smile, sticking her tongue out at Lee in return for the one he stuck at her.

After helping Lee return his trunk to the storage above his head the four settled in as they watched the world zip by them, talking about the year and listening to the tracks vibrate below. Soon enough they broke into the left over sweets from their last few visits to Hogsmead, something that had seemed to become a tradition on the train rides to and from Hogwarts. It wasn't until Lee popped a sweet into his mouth that Josie didn't recognize that the ride became more exciting than the crinkling of wrappers again, Lee Jordan floating a few feet off the cushion. "What the hell are those?" she exclaimed, leaning over to inspect the bag as Lee returned to his seat. "Fizzing Whizzbees." Fred clarified, taking the bag from her hand to turn one out into his palm before tossing it back to Lee. "Want one?" the darker boy asked, unwrapping another for himself. "No, thank you. I prefer myself on the ground." She answered, digging through her bag to try and find the Chocolate Frog that had disappeared between her notebooks. "Oh right, you're afraid of flying." Lee teased, placing the bright package back into the bag of sweets they shared and sitting upright for the first time since she boarded.

"I am not. I'm just not very good at it." Josie corrected, sighing softly before giving up her search for the missing frog. "Would be nice if you were." Fred pulled her legs across his lap as he spoke, fingers absentmindedly playing with the hem of her skirt as he thought. "We could teach you how to play Quidditch." "I would rather watch you two play and not take the chance of being badly broken." She replied, moving to lean back against George. He leaned back just as she moved, causing her to miss and fall to lay across his lap with a loud squeak. She sat up again when the twins stopped laughing at her, looking out the window and standing. "I'm going to go change." She said as she slung her bag over her shoulder, the movement and open top causing the long lost Chocolate Frog to fly out and hit Lee right in the middle of the forehead.

The twins fell into hysterics as Lee swatted away the chocolate amphibian. Covering her mouth to stifle her laughter, Josie slipped out the sliding door so she could change out of her uniform and into her regular clothes. She returned minutes later to find Marina sitting across Lee's lap, the three boys and the newcomer all dressed in normal clothes as well. The whistle Marina sent in Josie's direction along with the twin's grins sent a deep flush up through her cheeks. "You look nice." Marina said with a smile as Josie sat down. "We're going out to dinner with Paxton and my Aunt and Uncle, since it was his last year and all." Was her answer, crossing her thighs as she leaned against the window. "I was hoping it was for me." George joked, pulling her closer until she lay against his side instead of the cold glass. The twins soon fell into a conversation about the Quidditch world cup, George's arm wrapped tightly around her waist to keep her close enough to kiss the top of her head between sentences.

Marina's words began to come back to Joise as she listened to the three boys talk excitedly about the match between Bulgaria and Ireland. She did have an interest in Quidditch, its fast pace and loud crowds at games just kept her from catching on as quickly as she would like. The basics she knew from watching Gryffindor team practice, but besides that she was completely lost in the vast and complex art that was playing Quidditch. Perhaps she would ask Paxton or her father to teach her about it, since both of them played excessively when they were younger. She only hoped the girls on the team wouldn't judge her for coming back from summer with knowledge of the game after she started a relationship with the twins; it would most likely be suspicious to some. The thoughts drifted from her mind as the train rumbled to a stop, Marina and Lee standing and grabbing their things before leaving Josie alone with the twins in the car. Josie had them in her arms in a second; fingers gripping at the back of their necks as they wrapped their arms around her to hold her close. "I'm going to miss you." she muttered softly, her face buried in the sleeves of their shirts. Fred placed a kiss on her temple, his smile pressing into her skin. "Don't worry-" "-you'll see us soon." "Maybe even too soon." They joked, nudging at her chin with prying fingers until her head tilted upwards into their kisses. Fred lingered on her lips, pressing his against hers again and again until they broke apart into laughter. George kissed her softly, pressing his lips fully to hers with a smirk before pulling back to kiss her nose. Despite their affection being different, both of them left her aching for more.

They boys took her stuff for her before should could even reach for it, grinning at her over their shoulders as they walked the now empty hallway off the train and onto the now crowded platform. Josie immediately spotted both her own family as well as the Weasley's. Her father and their own were talking about something while Mrs. Weasley and bustled about rounding up the many, many ginger haired children that made up their family. Paxton and her uncle, Emmanuel, stood above most of the crowd due to their height, green eyes darting through unfamiliar faces until Emmanuel's landed on her own and the large man moved towards her and the twins through the sea of students. Josie became quickly engulfed in her uncle's arms, limbs wrapped around her shoulders tightly until she felt slim wrists slip their way between them to pry them apart moments later. With a swirl of blonde locks she was embraced and spun in circles, her head spinning as her aunt set her back onto her feet.

"It's so good to see you!" Andrea cries, fingers softly brushing the hair back from Josie's face to kiss her forehead. "It's good to see you too." Josie replied, smiling widely as she took in the draping fabric and chunky beads that hung from her figure. Her aunt barely started her reply before her attention was drawn somewhere over Josie's shoulder. Blue eyes traced the gaze to land on Fred and George, both standing a few feet away with amused expressions. "Is that them?" Andrea questioned quietly, her intrigue not masked by her hushed tone. "Is who what?" Josie responded, thick brows furrowed in confusion. She hadn't told anyone but her mother about the twin's, unless- "Your mother told me." Josie's question was answered before it was even asked, a deep flush rising through her cheeks as Andrea pushed past her. Blue nails glinted in the light as she shook each of their hands, a wide grin on her face. "Hello! I'm Andrea, Josie's aunt. Its nice to meet you." Josie inwardly cringed at her excitement, joy oozing from every pore.

The twins loved it, wide grins breaking their face as they held in laughter at Josie's embarrassment. They had barely responded with polite introductions before a voice called their names over the crowd. All heads turned towards the slightly shrill tone, a short stout woman with wild red hair waving through the rest of the cluster of Weasley children. Setting her trunks besides shuffling feet, the twins each hugged Josie tightly before sighing loudly in unison. "That's mum." "We've got to go." Heart sinking, Josie chewed at her lip before quietly humming in dissatisfaction. "Write soon?" she asked softly. She didn't think they heard her until their lips quirked up in matching smirks. "Of course." "You'll get so many letters you could wrap our Christmas presents with them." "For the next ten years." They joked, hugging her tightly one last time before waving good bye with a wink."They're cute." Were the first words out of Andrea's mouth, Josie's flush turning darker as the brunette whipped around to join her mother and father as the Weasleys and the Desmarais/Lefays parted ways.

After loading their trunks onto a cart, Paxton and Josie fell behind the adults as the group made their way through the station and down diagon alley. "Going to miss being at Hogwarts?" Josie asked, breaking the silence. "Of course I will, but I know theres so much more for me to do than just be in school. I will miss seeing Lana everyday, when ever I want though." He responded with a grin, throwing a thick arm over her shoulder to pull her closer. She smiled as they walked in unison, shoe heels clunking against the uneven cobble of the street. "You could always marry them, then they'd be forced to deal with you constantly." Josie teased, nudging her shoulder into his ribcage. "I'm working on it." He replied with a smile, winking playfully when she turned up her head to look at him with wide eyes. "If you don't invite me I will be very upset." "Of course, you can be a flower girl." Paxton laughed as she elbowed him in the side, ruffling her hair before turning himself to walk backwards behind his father. Josie's eyes turned to the storefronts they passed by, her eyes lingering on the joke shop lit with color and the laughter of young witches and wizards. She didn't realize she had slowed down, her heart aching slightly at the thought of Fred and George and their antics. It wasn't until Paxton took her arm that she pulled her eyes away, her cousin grinning down at her with a still healing lip from a fight days before. "Yours can do better." He said with a smile. The wetness in Josie's eyes broke and fell down her cheeks as she grinned. "Much better." With her response the two threw their arms around the others sides, walking quickly through the crowd to catch up with the parents that had gotten away from them.


	40. Talking 'Bout My Girl

It was a week after she had arrived home, a week of Josie tossing around the idea of asking her father to help her understand Quidditch and wondering what her friends were doing. A Sunday morning finally came that her Father stayed at home, drinking coffee while he sat in front of the cold fireplace and read the paper. "Dad?" her voice was barely a whisper over the murmur of song playing from the radio. But her father's head turned immediately towards her, a warm smile deepening the wrinkles forming around his eyes. "What is it?" his response in French took longer to process than she was accustomed to , her ears still used to hearing English. "You enjoy Quidditch, right?" she asked after the long silence. "Of course, you know that's a silly question. Why?" his eyes followed her as she sat next to him. "Can you help me to understand the basics?" His thick eyebrows rose as he put his book down. "You're not thinking about playing are you? Because you know-""I'm not going to play. I just want to be able to understand it." Josie interrupted, holding up a hand to stop the worried-father-speech that was brewing. "Good. As much as I enjoy the sport I wouldn't want my daughter up there." "Dad, I can hardly fly." "Exactly."

She couldn't help but laugh at the well-times joke, shaking her hair out after her father ruffled it with a grin. "I like it; I just have a hard time understanding it when it's all moving so fast." "Well if that's the only issue I can surely help you understand it. As long as you're not doing this just for those two boys." Embarrassment flooded through her as she rolled her eyes at her father's waggling eyebrows. A soft shove forced him to stop, low rumbling laughter bouncing off the walls. "It's not. I want to be able to keep up with the game for myself." Her father stood up as she spoke, stretching enough to pop his back before he walked to the bookshelves along the wall and slide out one book after another until he'd made a very impressive pile. "Would you like to start now?" he asked as he sat down again. All it took was a small nod from Josie for him to pick up a book and begin rattling on about Quidditch.

In the weeks that followed Josie and her father spent all of his free time together, Andre animatedly talking about Quidditch and sketching out drawings to help her understand. They sat for hours, talking and debating, drinking mug after mug of hot chocolate and driving her mother absolutely crazy with their dirty cups. Finally she was starting to understand, the slowed down pace that her father taught her at giving her the time to process instead of her mind constantly racing.

During an outing on a Sunday afternoon was the only time her mother ever pried into Josie's relationship with the twins all summer, bringing it up as casually as she could when they stopped for sandwiches after hours of shopping. "How are your boyfriends? Besides seeing the constant barrage of letters you three send back and forth you've said nothing about them since you've gotten home." Delephine asked with a raised brow, sipping at her tea and smiling at the waiter as he placed their food in front of them. "They're fine, they've been off their rocker ever since they won the Quidditch tournament at school. Now they're riled up about the possibility of going to the Quidditch World Cup to watch Ireland and Bulgaria." Josie said softly, carefully separating the already cut halves of her sandwich before taking a small bite out of a corner. "Sounds like a good time. Why aren't you going with them?" "They don't know if they are or not. But because I don't want to intrude on their family, I haven't been formally introduced to anyone but three of their five siblings." Josie's eyes wandered along the cobblestone road, chewing the warm crisp bread and hearty fillings of her sandwich slowly. "I suppose that makes sense, their family seems different from ours." The tones that layered under her mother's voice resembled those of Josie's grandmother when she was getting ready to share gossip, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "They're very close, but they've been planning on asking their mother if I can visit. Ron has friends over so they don't see why they can't have me over." She quickly tried to change the subject to one her mother would surely be interested in.

"Of course their mother doesn't know that we're-" "She doesn't know you're their girlfriend?" Delephine nearly shrieked, covering her mouth soon after so she would make less of a scene. "Of course she doesn't! Their mother is more….strict on them then you are on me. We doubt she'd understand the three of us being together." Josie muttered as she took another bite dipped into the tomato soup she had gotten alongside her sandwich. "I honestly don't understand it completely either dear, but it's your love life not mine so I don't think it's any of my business as long as you're not dating someone who isn't good and as long as you're being safe when you-" "Mother!" "Exactly, so I have the right to worry about these things." Josie laughed at the witty and well timed response, which in turn caused her mother to laugh along with her as they finished their meal and the sun beat down on their shoulders.

When the two women walked in the door that evening they were met with Andre jumping from his seat in front of the fireplace as soon as they walked in the door. The book he had falling to the floor as he ran over to Josie, taking her bags from her and setting them on the ground before taking her shoulders in his hands. "How would you feel about going to the Quidditch World Cup with me?" were the first words that were shared between them. "What?" came the shared response between Josie and her mother. "Emmanuel had tickets but he can't go because he has to be in Belgium until that evening. Paxton doesn't want to go without his father so he gave them to us." He clarified, waving two sleek strips of paper in front of his chest proudly. "I thought it would be a nice time." The stunned silence that followed was broken only the rustling of Delephine placing the bags on the ground. "Of course she'll go." "What?" Josie turned on her mother's response with wide eyes.

"It will be fun." "It will be crowded." Josie replied, already feeling the bottom of her stomach filling with rocks. She watched the lines on the corners of her fathers eyes turn down as the excitement drained. "It will be fine, I'll be with you the entire time." He took her hands between his, holding them tightly as he crouched down to meet her eyes. "I'm not going to force you, I thought it would be a fun experience since we've been talking about Quidditch." With a sigh Josie squeezed his hands, smiling through the butterflies in her stomach. "You two could use the bracelets from when she was little." Her mother chimed, quickly walking down the hallway to her bedroom.

"What bracelets?" Josie asked as her father set the bags on the table one by one. "When you were little my mother gave you a set of bracelets, one for you and one for your mother and I. It was in case you ever got lost and for when we had to leave you places by yourself." Her mother rejoined them with a small box in hand, the silver coating glinting in the warm light streaming through the window. From inside the box came two small braided bracelets, soft blue melded with glistening white, each with a silver clasp.

"What makes them special?" Josie asked as she took one of them to turn between her fingers. "They'll glow white if two people are wearing them, and the farther apart you get the dimmer it gets. If someone is thinking about you then it glows blue. So, if you two get separated you can find each other by how its glowing, and if you need to be apart then you'll be able to be brave when the other is thinking about you." Delephine said with a smile, helping Andre clasp the bracelet around his thick wrist. As it slipped around her wrist Josie's bracelet began to glow brightly. With a small smile she looked up at her father, Josie's voice quivering with residual apprehension as she spoke. "Alright, we'll go."

The morning they left was rushed and misty, Josie's father having already set up their home away from home the night before to cut down on work that day. Eating toast and fruit at the table, brown boots swinging above the floor as swirled the milk in her tea to create patterns Josie prepared herself to the day. Her mother was fussing over what she had chosen to wear, and neither Josie nor her father was having any of it. "Delephine can you please leave her alone she looks fine."

"Yes, she looks fine, but I still think she should be a bit more dressed up for such a large event." She argued, long hair whipping behind her as she paced. "Its in a field dear, its loud and crowded. We'll be standing up for hours." Andre argued, placing a hand over his wife's as it lay on the table. "I understand, but there's going to be so many people and-" "Yes, so many people in face paint and sweaters and Quidditch gear. If she's any more dressed up she's going to stick out like a giant in a goblin colony and we'll have to pretend she's famous because of all the attention she'll get." Andre argued, smiling warmly at Josie with a wink. Josie had tuned out of the conversation long ago, ignoring her mothers rant over her ripped jeans and tank as she watched the fringe on her shawl swing slightly as she moved.

"Fine. I give up. I don't understand the dress code for these things." Delephine sighed, kissing the top of Josie's head. "Seems she's dressed expecting something special anyway." She added as she tucked her daughters' hair behind her ear, the yin-yang earrings Josie wore glinting in the morning sun. Shooting her mother a playful glare as the woman cleared the empty plates from the table she blushed, chewing an already faux-flushed lip between her teeth. She had in fact dressed up that morning after receiving an owl the night before from the twins saying that they were in fact going to the Quidditch World Cup. In a hopeful blur of excitement she had agonized over picking out an outfit that was both practical and breathtaking.

She had sat on the floor amongst the clothes ripped from her closet for hours, nervously snacking on leftover candy she had found in her suitcase. In the wee hours of the morning inspiration had come to her in a trip to the kitchen for a glass of milk. The photograph of her parents, Emmanuel and Andrea from their dual couples trip to Italy stared back at her as she closed the fridge, her eyes flickering to her aunts stomach growing out from under her flowing dress. A moment later and Josie was inspired by her aunt's bell sleeves and beaded necklaces as she darted back to her room, leaving small puddles of milk along the floor along the way. She went to sleep that night with the discarded clothes shoved into the bottom of her closet and an outfit she'd hope would impress both her aunt and her boyfriends.

As soon as they had finished breakfast Josie and her father hoisted their bags over their shoulders as they slipped into the fireplace so they could be on their way. From where they came out in a pub a while off from the field where the Cup was being held they walked the rest of the way. As they emerged over the crest of the last hill a great roar of people erupted around them, the field in front of them covered with tents of all colors and thriving with life. Following her father down into the mass with the back of his sweater clutched in her fist she took in her surroundings around her. She wasn't halfway through the crowd of people to their tent before she heard someone yelling her name. Stopping her father with a tug as she looked around she quickly looked around for the source of the yelling.

Oliver Wood was waving an arm widely above his hands from a few tents behind them, a large grin breaking his face as he jogged towards her. Josie quickly let go of her father, running against the flow of traffic to pull the ex-captain into a bone crushing hug. "Wood! It's so good to see you." she said as the older boy swung her above the ground. He grinned down at her as they parted, patting her shoulder appreciatively. "It's good to see you too. How's your summer?" Wood asked as he looked down at her. "Uneventful until now." "I resent that." her father added with a smile, holding a hand out and shaking Wood's enthusiastically. "My father's been helping me understand Quidditch." Josie clarified. "This is Oliver Wood, he was the Captian of the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he graduated this year." "Don't count me out yet, I've been signed to the Puddlemere United Reserve team." Wood added proudly. "That's impressive." Andre said as he slung an arm around her shoulders. The smile that spread across Oliver Woods face was wide enough to open a Butter Beer on. "Thank you sir."

"Have you seen the Weasleys?" Wood asked after a moment of silence, looking down at Josie's with a teasing raised brow. "No, are they here already?" Josie answered quicker than needed, catching her father smiling from the corner of her eye. "I saw Ron with Harry and Hermione a minute ago, and if Ron's here than the rest of them are sure to be here as well. Fred and George would throttle their brother if he came to the World Cup without them." Oliver said with a laugh, one that was soon joined by Josie. The two friends parted ways as Josie followed her father towards their tent, hoping to have some time to rest and eat before the match started. After some time lounging around the tent and munching on sandwiches and fruit, Josie took a walk around the area to look at what the sales people they had passed earlier had put up. With what little pocket money she had she decided to buy a rosette to pin to her shawl and a poster of the Irish team for Paxton, placing the few knuts she had left in her pocket as she continued to wander.

As a flash of red hair crossing her path she stopped suddenly, the ginger turning to look at her. Ginny Weasley smiled widely as she looked at Josie, the girl now even in height with her. "Josie!" she said loudly, looking over her shoulder and at the booth she had come from before repeating herself even louder than before. Moments later the crowd around the booth split as another head of red hair tumbled out of it, followed by yet another. "What?" "What about-""Josie!" the twins exclaimed, both of them quickly running over to her. "I don't know what you two are looking at when you've already gambled all your money away, I had to call you twice." Ginny said with a sigh.

Josie's chest ached with the stop of her heart, her mouth going dry as she looked them over. She knew this was going to happen; of course this would happen when she hadn't gotten to see them all summer. How in the world did they get more attractive? She thought, staring up more than usual at their increasingly shaggy hair and strong jawline. Even as grins broke widely across their faces and their eyes darted over her she the impish gleam in their gaze was no longer lessened by the childishness still softening their features. Now all that looked down at Josie was a dual set of teasing looks to kill. Calm down Josie you sound like one of the novels mom keeps on the top shelf of the bookcase. She laughed to herself as she wrapped an arm around each of their necks and held them tight, giggling loudly as they lifted her from the ground and places a sly kiss on each of her cheeks.

"Why the hell didn't you tell us you were coming?" Fred exclaimed loudly, keeping long arms wrapped around her waist till his hands held the curve of her waist on opposite sides. "I just found out you were last night! If I would have known sooner I would have told you." Josie argued back playfully, blue eyes reflected back in his. "Well it's a bloody amazing surprise." George chimed, tugging his brother off of her to wrap his own arms around her. "It's even wrapped nicely." Fred added with a wink as George let her go, her cheeks turning scarlet as she stuttered out an argument. "Oh stop it." "You look nice." "It really suits you." they interrupted before she could finish her disagreement. "You don't look that bad yourselves." She said, her chest growing warm at the smirks they wore in response. "Do you know where your seats are in the match?" she asked in the hopes of a change of subject. "Probably at the top knowing Dad." "Are you complaining?" Ginny chimed in on Fred's answer, quirking a brow at him. She ducked from his hand as it went to ruffle her hair and stuck out her tongue at him.

"Who's this, or are you two just flirting with a poor defenseless witch again?" the twins turned at the voice from behind them, George playfully shoving the new Weasley sibling that had appeared. "Shove off Bill." "She knows better than that." The twins said, annoyance dripping from their voices as the gauged Josie's reaction to their older brothers statement. The hot envy that spread through her chest quickly faded as the boy who she recognized as Bill Weasley held out a hand to her. "And you are?" he asked as she hesitantly took his hand, only to have it squeezed tightly. "Josie Desmarias, it's a pleasure to meet you." she replied softly. "Pleasure is all mine. If you don't mine me asking, but where are you from?" he asked as he let go of her hand to shove his hands into his pockets. "I'm from Chateauroux, France." She replied, turning a bit red from the twins and their brother's gaze.

"How in the world did you meet these two nuisances?" Both of the twins took a shove at their brother's shoulders, the older boy laughing loudly. Josie had to suppress her giggles in order to answer. "I transferred from Beauxbatons this past year." "The students at Beauxbatons must have been beside themselves with grief to lose such a pretty pupil." This time she really did go red, the skin from her nose to her ears heating up with embarrassment. "Lucky for them we were there-" "-to take her off their hands." The twins chimed, grinning widely. "Would you three stop it?" Ginny interrupted the boy's banter, her mouth a hard line and hands planted firmly on her hips. "Sorry, it's nice to see my brothers with someone like you." The twins were practically beaming with pride. "We have to go, it's getting late and I'm afraid Dad's going to burn the tent down." Bill added. "It was nice meeting you, hopefully it will happen again soon." With that the elder Weasley sibling turned and strolled off with his hands in his pockets. "Does everyone in your family know we're together?" Josie asked the twins, the flush on her cheeks fading. "Most likely." They said together. "Everyone except mum." Ginny added before ran off after Bill with a wave.

"See you later?" she asked them, smiling up at them. "Of course." "We'll be around." They replied, leaning down to kiss her cheeks gently. "Fred! George! Come on!" Bill called, the twins apologetically hugging her tight enough to squeeze the air from her before the followed after their siblings. The last thing Josie saw before they disappeared into the crowd was the three boys glancing back at her over their shoulders and the twins meeting Bills hands with their own with an enthusiastic clap that echoed through the mingled voices of the busy field. With a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head to fade away the last of her embarrassment, Josie slipped into the crowd of people around the booth the twins had been staring at and reached for the last of her spending money just as her bracelet began to glow.


	41. Screaming, Crying, Perfect Storm

Her father was waiting outside the tent when she returned, a bag slung on his back and a tube of green paint in hand. One look at the smears on his own face and she knew what he was doing. "Mom is going to flip." She said, watching her fathers face break into a grin as she spoke. "Your mother will never know." He replied as bent down to paint a clover on each of her cheeks, kissing her nose when he finished and earning a swat to his green stained hand as he pulled it away. Josie quickly slipped the things she had bought into her fathers bag and followed after him into the lantern lit forest, a merry song sung guiding her way through the thick crowds of foliage. She held tight to her fathers hand through the clusters of trees and the people walking around them, her eyes trained on the glow of her bracelet the entire way as voices echoed around them. Faintly she could hear what sounded like the twins yelling a few yards in front of them, and she smiled at the rough hooting that echoed back at her.

The trees finally broke apart, the dim light of the lanterns they had been following obliterated by the shadow of the stadium that rose up in front of them. Quickly her father pulled her in line to turn in their tickets and head up the stairs to find their seats located almost at the very top. As they stopped due to an elderly wizard moving into his seat, Josie looked up the long purple coated curved staircase to watch those going up, catching a group of red-headed siblings bounding up them a few flights above her. "Josephine, come on. We've a long way to go." Her father said as he took her arm, pulling her up the flights of stairs until finally they found their seats next to a familiar face.

"Well, this is a surprise. How are you Josie?" Inky black hair was braided down past both shoulders and swung as Charlie Camson turned her head towards her. "Ah, who is this?" Her father asked, sitting down on the end of the row and putting Josie next to the younger Slytherin in the process. "This is Charlie; she's a year below me and in a different house." Josie clarified, watching as Charlie took her fathers outstretched hand shook it gently. "Nice to meet you sir." She said with a shockingly polite smile.

Looking past the green plaid decorating the Slytherin girl's shoulder, Josie decided to take a look at the three people that sat next to her. What Josie assumed were her parents sat together, her mother's hand intertwined with her fathers, and a younger blonde boy sat between them and Charlie. It would be odd for the girl to have any parents other than these Josie thought, her father's sleek blonde ponytail and scarred lips with her mother's short sharp inky bob and heavy lashes pieced together could only result in Charlie and her brother.

"Charlie dear don't bother them." The mother's soft voice scolded lightly, casting a soft smile in Josie's direction. "She's not bothering us madam, any school friend of my daughter I'm glad to meet." Andre replied, smiling broadly. "So how was your summer?" Charlie continued, turning her body in her seat to face the older Hogwarts student in their conversation. "It's been fine, how was yours?" Josie continued with the small talk, fiddling nervously with her fingers. "I spent a while of it with family in Germany, it was nice." The younger girl replied, eyes flickering to the stairs behind them before they rolled harshly. Josie quickly followed her gaze towards the entryway to their seats to watch as the blonde boy that had teased Charlie the last time they sat and spoke like this, Draco Malfoy, glanced over the both of them before another person pushed past him.

"Camson, I didn't know you would be attending this year." The overly polite, sly voice settled over the box's inhabitants as all heads turned to look at the new comer. Mrs. Camson spoke first. "We thought the children would enjoy it, I see you've brought your own son." "Of course." The man, Draco Malfoys father by the familiar traits and how he had been addressed, smiled in a way that looked much like a grimace before he looked over the two Slytherin students sitting next to Josie. "I don't think I have had the pleasure of meeting your children." He stated cooly, looking them over. Charlie stood right on cue, swiftly but calmly walking toward the entry way with her brother on her heels.

"I'm Charlie Camson, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Malfoy. Your son speaks highly of you." Her voice was polite and cheerful as she spoke, smiling gently as she gestured towards the boy next to her. "This is my brother Bleddyn." She finished, watching as Mr. Malfoy took his hand to shake it slightly. "You know my son do you?" Mr. Malfoy looked Charlie over carefully as he spoke, taking in spotless boots and dark jeans. "You could say that." Malfoy answered his father's question before Charlie could, and Josie couldn't miss the look the two Slytherin students shared. The brow of Charlie's profile quirked up as her lips twitched into a scowl, Draco's own face nearly mimicking hers as he held back a sneer. "Well, hopeful next time the Ministry will aid in achieving better seats for your family." Mr. Malfoy said in farewell, slinking out of the box as quickly as he had come with his son following behind.

"What is it with you two?" Bleddyn asked as he and his sister sat down, earning a sharp glare from the latter of the two. "I was wondering the same thing." Josie added, watching as Charlie smiled before sliding down in her seat to get comfortable. "How are the twins?" she asked, derailing the subject before it could get any father. "Fine, I saw them earlier today." Josie replied, tearing her gaze away from the girls prying eyes before it spotted her flush. "Are your parents a part of the Ministry?" Andre interjected from behind Josie, leaning forward to talk with the other girl. "My wife is, I'm retired." Charlie's father replied, turning towards the other family. "Mr.-""Desmarais." "Mr. Desmarais." he continued, his face calm. "There's a nice pub on the other side of the stadium, a mile or so away, run by an elderly wizard and his family. I would like to invite you after the match to a celebratory drink and meal, whatever the outcome." Mr. Camson said, watching Josie's father closely as he awaited an answer. "I couldn't impose." "It is best." Charlie's mother insisted, turning to look unblinking at Andre for a few long moments. "I would be delighted." He finally replied, smiling at the couples nod in response before turning his attention back to the arena.

The Bulgarian mascots were announced as they slinked onto the field, and Josie's eyes narrowed at them. Veela, a creature Josie knew far too well from her studies at Beauxbatons, had begun a dance that caused the entire crowd to shift forward. The teenage boys in the box next to theirs had begun to lean so far over the railing they would fall at any moment. With a glance towards Bleddyn her brow rose in amusement, Josie almost laughing at the strange situation unfolding next to her. Bleddyn was slouched down in his chair, watching the entertainment with mild interest. His sister on the other hand, was a sight to see. Leaned so far forward in her chair her nose almost touched the railing, Charlie was watching the performance with flickering looks of jealousy and passion as her eyes darted back and forth between the dancing women and the crowd around them.

The dance ended as soon as it had started, and the Irish mascots had their turn. In a flood of green and gold a swarm of Leprechauns covered the field, gold coins raining down from the sky as they formed a large shamrock that put Josie's painted cheeks to shame. Josie quickly scooped up the coins from around their box, shoving them but the handfuls into her father's bag before he swat her away playfully.

The match opened with eruption of color, and from that moment on the Desmarais family spent little time in the seats they had been assigned. Instead the two took to staying on their feet to lean over the railing and watch as the team zipped onto the field. This was the test of all tests to see how much Josie had learned from her father, the teams playing Quidditch like Josie had never seen before. If she had trouble following along with Quidditch before, she would definitely be able to follow the Hogwarts teams now. She barely kept up with the gameplay of this, her railing pressed into her stomach and the Omnioculars her father had bought the both of them held fast to her the entire time.

It only became more brutal as the game went on, the Bulgarian beaters putting up a fight that would shame the tactlessness of the Slytherin beaters and the fire of Fred and George to shame. Charlie was the first to catch the high speed chase that was going on between the two Seekers, her hand hitting Josie's arm with a dull thud. "Look!" she yelled as she pointed towards the high points of the match, the two players a blur as they shot downward. "Good catch dear!" Mr. Camson yelled over the crowd. "Not hard to pay attention to the Seekers when you like one." Josie barely heard Bleddyns comment to his sister, but she surely heard the resounding smack that came from the older sibling hitting the other.

Josie was pulled back into the game but the roar of the crowd, watching as the Irish seeker hit the ground with a thud that made her skin crawl. Quidditch was a dirty game, but Josie had never seen it played this dirty. Not even in a match against Slytherin. The crowd was ferocious, the team mascots were foul, and the game was bound to turn bloody at this rate. "And this is why I will never let you play." Andre said in her ear, grinning widely as Josie rolled her eyes. "I'd get killed, and I know it." She replied.

The match finished in a blur, Ireland winning with only ten points over Bulgaria, but only after Bulgarians seeker Victor Krum caught the snitch as he dripped blood to the field below. The stadium emptied twice as quickly as it had filled, the crowd roaring with laughter and singing. The two families cheerfully made their way around the stadium and started across the field towards the pub Mr. Camson had mentioned, the mans dark cloak leading the way as Josie's father and Charlie's mother quietly chatted about working at separate national branches of the Ministry as the three teenagers talked noisily about the match they had just witnessed. The roar from the cheering crowd faded behind them the farther they went, the bright lights barely glimmering over the hills as they reached the pub. The slanted tin plated roof reflected the dim glow, and the firelight from inside the glass panels that decorated the walls of the building made the warm brick glow from the inside. The pub was warm compared to the slight chill of the summer night outside, two wide fireplaces on each side of the main room burning brightly.

Mr. Camson went straight to the bar, firmly grasping the bar tenders hand with both of his as they shared a warm greeting. A fair-haired server directed the odd collection of people to a long table near one of the large fireplaces, setting a small paper menu in front of each of them. By the time they had each ordered their drinks, three waters for the students and water along side coffee for the two adults, Mr. Camson had returned to the group and taken his place next to his wife with a mug of what was assumed to be alcohol in hand. "Anything for you, Mr. Desmarias?" he asked as he sipped. "No thank you, I don't drink much more than wine with my wife and a fire-whiskey with my sister on holidays. " Josie's father replied, and soon enough the two men fell into a conversation about family, leaving Mrs. Camson to talk with the two older students due to her son becoming engrossed in figuring out what he wanted to eat.

"Josie, what house are you in?" Mrs. Camson asked coolly, sipping her newly arrived and steaming coffee as she watched her from over the rim. A pang of apprehension ran through her stomach, wary of the Slytherin opinion of other houses and non-pure bloodline coming out in response to her answer. Her mouth felt dry when she tried to speak, almost knocking over her water when she reached for it. "I'm in Gryffindoor." She answered softly after too long a time had gone on, hiding her face in the menu as she waited for a response.

"That's nice. I knew some very nice people from Gryffindoor when I was in school. You seem like you would be in Gryffindoor." "Pardon?" she questioned before Josie could stop herself, biting her lip and quickly drowning her embarrassment in another sip of water. "You have a certain look in your eye, and you seem like a very intelligent and adventurous girl. Besides, you were far to loud during the match to be a Ravenclaw, and you were far too civil to be a Slytherin." Charlie snorted into her drink across from Josie, smiling at her mother's explanation. "She doesn't mean that in a bad way I promise." The girl assured as she slid her over shirt down her arms to tie it around her waist, rolling up the sleeves of the black shirt she wore under it.

Mindless chatter followed, Josie and Charlie talking about the next school year while the parents talked about Wizard politics across the nations as they waited for their food to arrive. When it did the table fell mostly quiet aside from Charlie's father talking about his days as an Auror with Josie's father. In the silence, Josie found herself staring out the thick glass windows watching the fire reflect off the panels as she enjoyed the hearty stew she had ordered. She lost herself in the reflecting colors by the time she had finished, finding herself day dreaming of the twins and their fiery hair as her eyes drifted to the fireplace by the windows to watch the flames twist around each other. Wondering what those two were doing in that moment, probably celebrating just a loudly as they did for their own team, she looked again to the windows where the twins were far off on the other side of the stadium. When she did look she saw the windows reflecting the flames brighter than before, and it did not take her long to realize that those flames were not from the fireplace inside the quiet pub but outside in the distance. From the darkness and the flames the window reflected two orbs of light coming near quickly across the field.

"What's that?" she asked, quickly straitening up in her chair as the hair on the back of her neck stood up. It didn't feel right anymore, the air was heavy, and the smell of smoke overwhelmed her as the door to the pub was thrown open and two wizards stumbled in. Wands alight and cloaks singed, they looked frantically around the pub, slamming the door behind them and rushing towards the bar. "What is it?" the bartender asked, motioning for the fair-haired server to lock the pub door as the few groups of people around the pub stood slowly.

"Deatheaters, everywhere, marching through the field and destroying everything. They might be headed this way since-" The pause in the air was heavy, all eyes trained on the door. "Go wake your mother, in the cellar quickly." The bartender ordered, the three servers all-bolting into the kitchen door and out of sight. "Since what." Bleddyn spoke up for the first time that night, voice low and measured for such a young boy. "Since his wife is a muggle." Mr. Camson answered, drawing his wand from his pocket and slowly making his way towards the front door. Josie and her father shared a glance, his jaw tight as he drew his own wand before slipping Josie's from out of the bag by his feet and handing it to her. "Just in case." He said sternly before slipping the bag over her shoulders and pulling her back towards the fireplace. Everyone held their breath, wands drawn, as they listened. From over the hills the sounds of explosions and screams drifted towards them, the shutters rattling dangerously in the wind.

Josie thought of Fred and George, of Ginny and Bill, of Oliver. The urge to run back towards the screaming field pulled her feet forward; her fathers hand on her arm keeping her from bolting out the door. "What was the state of the tents when you left?" she asked softly, eyes locking with one of the wizards that alerted them. "Josephine don't-" "What was the state of the tents when you left?" she asked again louder, voice shaking as it echoed through the still air of the room. He didn't answer, only stared back at her with pained eyes. "Answer her!" Charlie yelled beside her, her mother shushing her sternly. "Engulfed in flames." Was the grim answer that came, and that was all Josie needed to send her running towards the door.

As soon as her hands met the heavy wood the glass panels shattered, her fathers cry drowned out by a deafening boom as black forms poured in through the now destroyed walls. The long arms of Mr. Camson grabbed Josie and pulled her behind him, casting disarming spells at the people that had appeared before they once again became wisps of smoke and disappeared again. "Brave girl indeed." He said with a soft smile, pulling her back towards her father and forming a tight circle as they were once again surrounded by dense, dark shapes scattered across the room. The circle of people pushed back towards the fireplace, Josie's back coming into contact with the hard brick.

Everyone moved in a blur as wands raised, curses and counter curses exploding across the air as everything became a blur. Josie found herself lowering her wand, the echo of a counter curse on her tongue as the fighting continued and she felt Bleddyn slip behind her into the fireplace. With a barely audible mutter he disappeared in flame, Charlie quickly falling in behind him throwing curses the entire way.

"Get out of here, we can handle this." Mr. Camson called over the roar of voices echoing in the room, still blocking Josie's need to dart out the open door to find the twins. Her father's heavy hands pulled her into the fireplace, his voice urgently speaking into her ear as he took a fistful of floo powder and threw it to the floor. "Think of Andrea's house." Despite her thoughts being fully focused on getting to the twins as soon as possible the comment forced images of the warm rustic wood and heavy scent of spice of her aunt's home.

The flames consumed Josie, green tendrils pulling her and her father away from the battle in the pub and from her hope of getting to the twins before harm beat her to it. Her chest tightened painfully, the sensation of falling forcing her heart into her throat to choke on and her stomach into her feet. Even as the inviting warmth of Andrea's living room came into view and her knee's hit the rough red brick of the fireplace, Josie felt like she was tumbling into darkness still. Her father quickly pulled her to sit before rushing into the kitchen in search for his sister as a voice called out to them. Muffled expressions and frantic conversation drifted through the wood to Josie's place on the couch cushions, her body stiff and buzzing as she stared at the fireplace from which she had come. She found herself only to lose it all over again, becoming away of the frantic pulsing racing through her veins and the webs of panic that had taken all moisture from her throat.

She jerked to her feet as gruesome thoughts of what could be happening to the twins flooded around her, her hand painfully gripping her wand enough to leave its pattern on her palm. Her imagination shared flashes of what only can be described as nightmares; Fred lying dead in a pool of blood, George maimed and broken as dark figures surrounded him, their warm eyes fading away, writhing in pain as they were tortured, warm hands she once held in comfort growing cold as life slipped away. Fighting the urge to vomit she moved with determination towards the fireplace, strong hands holding her back. She had not noticed Paxton come in through the anguish her mind was infliction on her, not noticing the couch cushion dip in as he sat beside her. Heavy footsteps pulled her into reality, the floorboards vibrating beneath her boots as her father swiftly entered the room.

"What's going on?" Her voice cracked as she spoke, tears building in her eyes as she moved to stand in front of her father. The deep lines in his brow drew a sob from her throat, not having seen him like this since Josie's fraternal grandfather had passed when she was little. If it had not been apparent in the confrontation at the pub, it was now. This was bad, very bad, and Josie could see the severity of the situation in her father's eyes. "What's going on, why did we leave? We have to go back!" she pleaded through choked sobs, fighting against the grip Paxton had on her arm.

Emmanuel entered before her father had time to process the questions, wand drawn as he stalked towards the fireplace. "I have to go." He said with a quick kiss and a lingering grasp to Andrea before he disappeared, grim faced, into the fireplace. The tightness in Josie's chest grew, the thudding of her pulse ringing in her ears as she swallowed hard. Gripping her father's arm more questions spilled from her bleeding lips. "Where is he going? What's going on? Who are those people?" She was losing the ability to speak rationally, much less in English as her speech faltered with each word. "He's going to the field." Was all her father answered before he pulled her fingers gently from his arm and moved towards the nails dug into his arm as she grabbed him again, tears blurring her vison as she looked up at her father. "Where are you going?" she was aware of others around her, pulling her back towards the couch and away from him. "I'm going to get your mother someplace safe, and then I'm going back." "Why are you going back?" "Because they need our help." Was his stern idea of her father leaving her alone pushed her closer to the edge, even as she dug in her heels to stay in place. Her voice strained through broken sobs as she cried out, finally losing all capability to continue on speaking her second tongue.

"You can't leave! You can't leave me here; I have to go back with you. My friends are there, Fred and George are there!" She was screaming, cracking on each syllable as she began to shake more and more with each pull on her father's arm. "No, you're staying here. It will be fine, I will be fine. I'll look for them." Her father had never been harsher with her in her life, pushing her back into Andrea's arms before disappearing into the floo system and leaving his daughter behind to break down into sobs.

She was falling, and everything she had to grab on to was gone. Her father had left her, her uncle had disappeared, and the two people that kept her head above all that engulfed her were lost to unknown fates. Once again she was consumed by thoughts of the worse, her family's faces mixed into the bloodshed. Her fingers were shaking violently, unable to grasp the arm of neither the couch she was moved to nor the cup Andrea placed between her palms. The scorching liquid spilled as it the ceramic made contact with her thigh, Josie barely jerking as hot chocolate stained her jeans and blistered the thighs underneath. She was lost, lost in her own personal horror show as it replayed the demise of her loved ones. Her aunt's yell woke her from it, her head jerking toward the noise and following Andrea's gaze to Paxton standing in the front doorway. "Where are you going?" she echoed, her eyes wide and tear filled. "I'm going to get Lana and her family." He replied as he disappeared out the front door, a loud pop left in his place.

With only herself and her aunt seemingly out of harm's way and the rest of her loved ones missing in action, Josie did the only thing she could think to do with her body frozen in fear. She cried. She wept openly and desperately, barely breathing through sobs and blinded by heavy tears. Arms wrapped around her, holding her close as her body was racked with wails and her mind raced around cemeteries for her. After what felt like hours she regained her body again, throwing herself at the fireplace with everything she had. She was falling again, but this time her feet were not on the ground because of any magic. Josie was lifted from the rough brick by her aunt's strong arms, raising her and pulling her back to the safety of the couch. "Let me go!" Josie was screaming, her voice rough as she fought against the elder witch in a fury of elbows and feet. "Let me go! I have to go back, they're in trouble! They could be hurt! I can't lose them!" the voice Josie heard in her head didn't sound like hers, it was too loud, too pained. The entire situation felt liked a dream, a hideous nightmare that was sure to haunt her for years to come.

Finally her aunt secured her, holding her tight as bruises formed on her arms and legs from Josie's relentless battle. Dragging the young girl to the kitchen and forcing her to sit, Andrea busied herself with making another drink. As the warm cocoa was placed in front of her Josie realized that she was doing the worst thing she could do at a time like this; nothing. And with one small sip of her cocoa and a glance at the green tinged droplets that were falling from her chin, Josie wept.


	42. Better Your Life, Justify Our Pain

The headache Josie woke up with the next morning was the worst she'd ever experienced, paired with the swelling around he eyes and the dryness in her throat, she was miserable. What roused her from her place on the couch was the clanking from the kitchen and the warm scent of food cooking. Wiping her still damp cheeks on her sleeves and stumbling blindly into the kitchen, Josie ignored the hands that took her elbow as she entered the door way.

"Did you wake her?" Andrea's voice broke the thick silence, the tall women turning from her place at the stove to watch the two teenagers. "No, she was already up." Paxton replied, holding Josie steady as she teetered back and forth. "Josephine, would you like to take a shower and borrow some clothes?" She barely responded to her aunt's question, only nodding once and allowing Paxton to lead her up the stairs and into the guest bathroom. She watched as he fetched a set of clothes and turned on the warm water, waiting until he left to move.

Sluggishly she peeled away her clothes and inspected her body, sighing at the bruises forming on her ribcage from fighting with her aunt, the older woman's strong grip digging into her skin as she fought desperately against it. The warm water stung the few cuts she had received from yesterday. Blisters on her feet open from walking endless flights of stairs, skin peeled from her fingers from game anxiety, and cuts from shrapnel at the pub burned as she scrubbed at herself. She stood there for a long while, trying to wash away all the bad memories and pain, so long Paxton knocked on the door to tell her lunch had been sitting on the table for a few minutes. She dressed quickly, the clothes swallowing her. They were blatantly her cousins, the long sleeves of the shirt covering her hands and the shorts brushing her knees as she walked down the stairs and into the warmth of the kitchen.

She took a place near the wall, pressing her side against it for comfort as she watched Andrea pile food onto a plate and placed it in front of her before doing the same for Paxton and herself. Despite the emptiness that settled in her stomach, Josie didn't feel hungry, but she ate anyway. The warm, hearty hash burned her tongue and the saltiness of the sausage stung the sore; it was at least something real that Josie could feel. She ate twice her fill, the motion comforting, before her father and Emmanuel entered the kitchen. She hasn't noticed her bracelet glowing around her wrist until she saw Andre's illuminating rough hands.

Stumbling as she got up, Josie immediately at her father's side. Her tea spread across the table, the cup forgotten as all voices hushed in wait. "What happened? Is everyone alright?" she quickly asked, fingers knit into her father's sweater. "Good to know she hasn't read the Prophet." Emmanual commented, handing the paper to his wife as he sat at the table. "Everyone is fine, your mother is at home with the neighbors, no-one was killed, and it was all handled." Andre said softly, wrapping the shaking girl in one arm as he set his bag on the ground near the door. Josie looked expectantly up at him, her lips pressed in a hard line as she waited. "I saw Arthur, they're fine. Everyone is fine." The rush of relief that flooded her nearly knocked her to the floor, tense muscles that had held her up releasing and causing her to collapse into her father's side. Helping her to her seat again, Andre answered the question that lingered on Josie's lips. "I'll send an owl after breakfast to see if we can get together with them before the end of the week."

By dinner that night they received an owl back, the large ball of feather slamming into the glass of the Lefay's front window as they were setting the table. "See mom, told you we shouldn't have to clean that window every week." Paxton joked as he opened the window and scooped up the owl to untie the letter from its foot. "You're lucky Kraken didn't break it." Andre commented as the bird landed on his shoulder, and drank from the glass of water he held for it. "Andre that bird is getting old." Andrea sighed as she inspected the window for cracks, her brow furrowed in frustration. "He's not much older than I am." "Exactly." Andre tossed a pillow at the woman that scampered into the kitchen, the pillow instead catching Josie in the side as she ran to read the letter at her father's side. "What does it say?" she asked, raising a brow at the ink splatter across the bottom of the paper. "You can go tomorrow evening, but only for a while. I'm going with you though." He added as her face lit up, Josie throwing her arms around her father's neck and squeezing him tightly.

Josie was asleep as soon as she walked into her bedroom when they got home that night, and she was up as soon as her mother's tea began to brew the next morning. Her entire day was spent in jitters, cup after cup stained with hot chocolate sitting in the sink until her father walked in the door from running errands. Andre didn't need to say anything before Josie was at his side, already dressed hours earlier and bouncing to go. They two quickly headed out the door, stopping in her mother's studio to say goodbye before they continued on to the Weasley house.

Josie's fingers could barely keep themselves still as she followed her father up the path, gripping the light knit of her sweater and picking at the skin around her fingers until it broke. She picked up the pace as the top shingles of the house came into view, watching the house appear as they moved closer. A smile crept onto her lips as Josie looked over the crooked house with its many chimneys. The Weasley family definitely lived in this strange house that seemed to be bursting at the seams and the warmth and oddity that emanated from it relaxed her nerves enough to keep her breathing normally.

As soon as her sneakers past the small sign that read "The Burrow", clatter rang out from the house in front of her. The door swung open with a call of her name before she could step into the garden, and she was instantly picked up and crushed in an embrace. Her father's laughter rumbled from behind her, the sound muffled by the arms wrapped around her and he name was called by two gruff voices as she was held tighter than she's ever been held before.

"Josie!" Fred and George both called as they wrapped her in their arms, lips daringly close to her cheeks and their bodies flush against her. "Don't suffocate our guests!" the loud voice or who Josie recognized as Mrs. Weasley called out from behind them, the twins breaking apart around her as the three turned to the doorway. Mrs. Weasley was both intimidating and motherly all at once, stern eyes and wild red hair framing the warm smile she gave as she moved forward to pull Josie into a gentle hug. "It's a pleasure to meet you dear, we've heard so much about you." she said before smiling up at Josie's father as he came up behind his daughter. "I'm not sure if I should be honored or worried." Josie said with a soft laugh, glancing at the twins who smiled deviously back at her. "All good things of course." They said together, winking at her behind Mrs. Weasley's back.

All Josie wanted was to wrap her arms around them, check every inch of them to make sure they were okay, kiss them both until her lips were sore and never let them go. Her eyes began to well with tears as she looked at them, her father's voice speaking to their mother lingering in the background as her mind wandered back to that night; what all could have happened, what all did happen, what all she didn't do. George locked eyes with her, his brow furrowing instantly and his hand moving to grab her behind his mother's back. Mrs. Weasley turned with a start, Josie nearly jumping out of her skin.

"Oh! I've forgotten the bread in the oven! You two come inside and have some tea." She said as she moved towards the door, skirts swinging. "Mums made the entire kitchen for dinner; you'd think the family was over." Fred said with a laugh, earning a glare over her shoulder from Mrs. Weasley. Josie's father followed behind her, head barely missing the light hanging in the entrance. Josie tried to join him, but she barely made it in the doorway before Fred was pulling her back by the hand. "Wait." He said with a sly grin, George moving to lean in the doorway and call to his mother who was now bustling in the kitchen. "We're going to show Josie around outside before it gets dark." He called to his mother, who's bustling stopped just long enough for her to yell back. "No funny business!"

Josie was immediately pulled through the garden and around the back of the house. Josie didn't argue as she was lifted over the back gate by Fred and lead into the grove of trees behind their house, barely having time to read the sign for the orchard before she was pulled into it. "What are we doing?" she asked as she laughed, following them until she could no longer look behind her and see the Burrow. "Getting you alone." They said together, smiling as they stopped. The three stood in silence for a moment, looking at each other, before all of them seemed to not be able to stand it any longer. Once again their arms were around her, hers around their necks with her toes almost off the ground and their lips on her cheeks.

They stood like that for a long time, until Josie turned and took Georges jaw between her shaking fingers and kissed him so deeply her tear stained cheeks pressed against his. His arms were around her waist as she kissed him enough to turn her lips dark, turning as soon as they parted to do the same to Fred. Fingers in his hair, she kissed him until she pulled back for air and the three of them crumpled into laughter. "You two need to stop growing." Josie joked to break the ice, nudging Fred's arm and flushing at the firm muscle that met her fingers. "You just saw us." George laughed, sitting down against a tree and tugging her down into his lap. Josie shrieked softly, settling herself between his legs as Fred sat in front of her and pulled her legs into his lap. "You still look bigger than you did then." She replied, fixing the pink bow clipped into her hair, the ribbon askew from their embraces. "You're taller too." "We think." "Hard to tell." "At least compared to your dad you're taller."

"I am?" she asked, looking up at them. "Yeah, you come to your dads shoulder now." Fred said, running his fingers over the rips in her jeans to brush against her skin. She shuddered, trying to find the words to ask what she wanted of them. "Are you okay?" she asked softly, looking between the two of them. "Of course-" "-why wouldn't we be?" they asked, furrowing their brows at her. "I mean after…." "Josie we're fine. Not a scratch on us." Fred said, leaning forward and taking her hands from inside the pink knit of her sweater. "Are you alright? Dad wouldn't tell us anything." George added, brushing her hair behind her ear to kiss her temple. "We, uh, had a run in with Death Eaters." She said softly, looking down to flick an imaginary speck from the white ruffled of her shirt.

She felt George stiffen behind her, Fred's fingers tightening around hers. "What happened?" they asked together. Josie sighed before shifting to lean back against George as she roughly re-told the happenings on her side of that night, from sitting with Charlie at the match, to eating dinner with her family, to the Death Eaters at the pub, all the way to her breakdown that night at her aunt's house. By the end she was in tears once again, and she was instantly shifted to so both of the twins could hold her and kiss her cheeks as her sobs died down. The twins ran their fingers through her hair and over her arms until she looked up, eyes still blurry.

"You're alright now, everyone's fine." Fred said reassuringly, kissing her briefly before nuzzling her nose with his. "But what's going to happen now…what does it all mean?" she muttered to herself. "It means we're still here-""-and we're still together." They barely snuck in another set of kisses before Mrs. Weasley's voice drifted through the trees and the three teenagers dusted themselves off to go meet for dinner.


	43. Got A Secret, Can You Keep It?

The twins were right when they had said Mrs. Weasley cooked the entire kitchen. The table was covered in plates when she walked in, the Weasley family scattered across the kitchen talking among themselves while their mother finished up the cooking. Ginny and Ron were talking with Harry in the living room, where Josie set down her sweater on top of her father's jacket and waved a hello to the three of them before Ginny abruptly stood up and moved towards her. "Are you okay? We overheard dad telling mum what happened." She asked, placing an arm on her shoulder. "I'm fine, just a few cuts and bruises." She said back, smiling at her reassuringly.

"Hello Harry, Ron." She said softly, waving at them and getting a nod with a short wave in return. The sound of someone coming in the doorway behind her made her turn to come face to face with yet another Weasley she had not met. "Hey, mum said come on, dinners ready." He said, his voice soft but deep. He almost disappeared back through the doorway until Bill, drying his hands on a dishtowel, blocked his way out. "Better hurry up before Ron gets there an eats everything." He said with a laugh. "Charlie have you met Josie?" he asked, nudging his brother into the room.

"No, I'm sorry." Charlie said, holding a hand out awkwardly to her. Josie took it gently, smiling at him as politely as she could. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Josephine, but everyone seems to call me Josie." She said as she let go of his hand, the rough skin tickling her palm. "Nice to meet you." He replied, smiling at her before turning and heading into the kitchen. "Come on, its getting cold." Bill said, reaching a hand out to take Josie's arm and lead her into the kitchen, the twins following close behind. She was led to a chair near her father, the twins quickly sitting on either side of her with a glare at their older brother. Josie couldn't help but laugh, the twin's scowls sending her into a fit of giggles. Quickly the family settled down, two empty chairs at the end of the table left open.

"Expecting somebody?" Andre asked, helping Mrs. Weasley shift the plates and serve everyone. "Mr. Weasley and Percy, who knows when they'll get home after that mess. I'm surprised you're not swamped." Mrs. Weasley said, sitting in her seat. "Its not as urgent in my branch, sadly can't say the same for my brother in law." Andre replied, and soon enough the two fell into a conversation about the ministry. "What made you change schools Josie? Beauxbatons is a great school." Bill asked after a while, pulling Josie from her hushed conversation with Ginny and the twins about the World Cup. Josie's heart sunk a bit when she thought of her prior school.

"It just wasn't what I needed in my life, it wasn't my style." She responded, nudging at her food and smiling to herself. "Do you like Hogwarts?" "Of course, it's wonderful. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." She said, smiling when she felt Georges knee bump up against hers under the table. "How many O.W.L.S did you get?" Charlie chimed in, looking up at her from his food for the first time since dinner began and flipping long bangs out of his eyes. "Four, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, and Ancient Runes" Josie replied hesitantly, hiding behind her glass as she took a drink. "Two of the best and two of the most boring classes, good job." Bill said as he shook his head, sitting back in his chair and smiling at her from across the table. "Do you like Quidditch?" Charlie asked, the twins snickering on either side of her.

"What?" She asked, turning to look accusingly at Fred who was covering his mouth to suppress his grin. "She doesn't play, and she's not all that good at watching either." He teased, earning an elbow in the side from Josie as she gaped at him. "I keep up just fine, I kept up at the World Cup." She argued, scowling at him. "She's right; we've spent most of the summer talking about it. She's very well informed I can assure you." Andre intervened, smiling at his daughter before going back to his conversation with Mrs. Weasley about the children's schooling. "Not surprised, she hasn't missed a match." Ginny said, the three younger students at the opposite end of the table perking up when Quidditch was mentioned. "Or a practice." Harry added, a smile that he hadn't worn the entire time creeping onto his face.

The back door swung open, Percy Weasley and who Josie assumed was Mr. Weasley walking into the already cramped kitchen. "Good evening Arthur." Andre smiled widely as he stood up to shake Mr. Weasley's hand firmly before turning to Percy. "Andre Desmarias, pleased to meet you." Percy shook her father's hand, his own thin fingers getting lost in Andre's grip. "Percy Weasley, it's my pleasure." Percy replied, turning and spying Josie between the twins. "Hello, Josie." He said, nodding his head in her direction. "Hello Percy, how are you?" she replied as she stood up to shake Mr. Weasley's hand. Josie didn't hear his reply over Mr. Weasley's hello.

"It's nice to finally meet you, I'm Arthur Weasley." He said boisterously as he shook her hand and moved to take a seat at the dinner table, allowing Josie to sit down again. "It's nice to meet you as well." She replied with a smile. Soon enough the table fell into loud conversation, the many people surrounding it falling into laughter and jokes all through desert. The adults corralled the kids into the living room while they spoke over tea in the kitchen and cleaned up.

Josie sat herself down on the multi toned couch, expecting the twins to sit on either side of her. Instead Bill Weasley planted himself next to her, arm slung across the back of the couch and a grin on his face. "So what could possibly convince you to be friends with these two?" he asked, motioning towards the twins who had set themselves beside and in front of her. "It just happened I guess, I kind of walked into a prank of theirs and we had a lot of classes together." She replied, fidgeting nervously with her shirt. "They're always together." Ginny added from her place on the floor. "I'm just surprised, you're so pretty." Bill added, trying not to smile at the scowls planted on the twin's faces. "Oi, back off Bill." George said lowly, obviously annoyed at the elder Weasley. "I'm not doing anything, I'm just talking." Bill replied with a smile. "I think you're doing more than talking." Fred said, his eyes narrowed.

"Bill, stop antagonizing them." Charlie said softly from his place against the door frame. "I'm not; I'm just talking with my brother's friend who happens to be a very beautiful French girl." Bill's smile gave away what he was actually doing, which was in fact trying to rile his brothers up. Josie blushed, her hands covering her face as she tried not to laugh at the Weasley children's banter. "Have a thing for the French now do you Bill?" Ron spoke up for the first time all evening, he and Harry standing against the fireplace joking to each other. "Who wouldn't? Have you heard her talk?"

"Pardon?" Josie squeaked softly, looking up from her palms to glance between the people in the room. She had never imagined her voice being attractive to anyone, but as she looked between Fred and George's nodding, smirking faces she began to wonder if the stereotype for her language was correct. The only people in the room who didn't seem to agree somewhat were Ginny and Charlie, both of which rolled their eyes at the statement. Even Percy raised a brow and seemed to be thinking over his brother's statement.

"Sorry boys, but your friend is a very enchanting girl. I would never forgive myself if I didn't flatter her in some way." Bill stated with a sly smile, turning to Josie only to wink at her playfully. Josie felt herself flush, but it was nothing compared to the red that was spreading from the twin's ears and down their necks. "Well as you bloody well know she's our girlfri-" George covered Fred's mouth before he could finish, all eyes in the room going wide as silence fell over them. They could hear the muffled voices of their parents in the kitchen, the conversation continuing on despite the outburst from the living room. The quiet was broken by the Percy Weasely, whose gasp startled everyone in the room enough to turn every head towards him with a snap.

"OUR girlfriend? What in the wo-" Fred was over the back of the couch in an instant, his hand slammed over Percy's mouth as the prefect continued to ramble into his palm and struggle against his brother. "Percy shut up, please!" Fred groaned, rolling his eyes as Percy attempted to elbow him in the side and letting go when his brother shut up. "If you don't keep this quiet I will tell mum about the time you had Penelope Clearwater in your dorm for three nights straight the second week of school." George said, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Percy?" Ron said in disbelief, his face a look of disgust and awe. "Even Percy gets around better than you do." Harry said, earning himself an elbow in the ribs as he doubled over laughing.

"Did everyone else know about this?" Percy was rambling. "Did you know about this?" he exclaimed with a gesture in Harry's direction, who only nodded as he coughed out another laugh. "It's fairly obvious." Charlie said, running his hands through his hair and watching his brother stutter over his words. "Just because you're blind as a bat when it comes to romance doesn't mean everyone else is." Bill added, chuckling when Percy glared at him. "But it-it's," Percy stuttered, his hands moving rapidly to make sense of this. "It's not right, it's not decent!" "Oh pipe down Percy." Fred sighed, taking his place next to Josie again. "It's none of your bloody business that's what it is, and mum and dad are to hear nothing about it or-" "you know." The twins warned, smirking at Percy's flabbergasted expression.

Luckily Andre broke the tense silence that followed, poking his head into the living room and grinning widely. "Josie, ready to go?"


	44. Get Back To Where You Once Belonged

There was another battle Josie had to face before she could return to Hogwarts, and it was even worse than the attack on the World Cup in Josie's eyes. Her grandmother's birthday was the week before school started, August 28th, and she was required to go despite her pleas to let her stay home. To ease her troubles, her father decided to make a day out of it, taking her out to breakfast before traveling to Diagon Alley to meet with Paxton to buy her school supplies.

Josie felt extremely out of place amongst the cobble stone and bustling crowds in her dress, already dressed for her grandmothers birthday dinner later in the evening so they would not have to change again after shopping. Andre led Josie through the crowds towards the large marble of Gringott's bank where Paxton was waiting for them. "Welcome to Diagon Alley, how you ever got through your first year at Hogwarts without going here I'll never know." Paxton exclaimed with a grin, throwing an arm around Josie and leading her down the stone street. "Dad came for me to get my books, and I can get everything else in Chateauroux." She replied, shrugging off his arm and rolling her eyes at his false pout. "At least here you can see some interesting people." He said with a nod towards the front of a store with a smile.

Josie followed his eyes to the pair of familiar blondes stepped out from Flourish and Blott's with another familiar face following behind them. "Josie!" Bijou cried when they locked eyes, running the short distance across the crowd and throwing her arms around the older girl. "Hello Bijou." Josie laughed, pulling the now flustered girl from her and turning to smile at Henri. "Hello Henri, Arya." She greeted them, turning when their eyes moved behind her. "Who's this?" her father asked, laying a hand on her shoulder and smiling brightly. "This is Bijou, she's two years below me, her brother Henri, and his-"she paused. She was unsure of if she should say the depth of Arya and Henri's relationship out loud in case they did not want to be exposed so freely. . "I'm Arya, Henri's boyfriend." He finished, his soft voice barely breaking the silence as his cheeks flushed. "He plays Quidditch, a beater like me and the twins." Paxton added, smiling and slinging an arm over his shoulder. "Why all the Quidditch players you know play the most violent position I'll never understand." Andre sighed with a pointed look at Paxton, reaching out to take Arya and Henri's hand. "That's not true, Wood was Keeper." Josie replied with a smile. "We're going to get ice cream after we meet up with our parents to finish shopping, would you like to meet us?" Henri asked, smiling softly. "Of course, we shouldn't take long anyway." Andre answered before Josie could; nodding to them as the three teens headed off and he pulled Josie into the book shop.

"All you kids fall in love so young now days, I don't understand how you all so easily find each other. It took me decades of failure to find your mother." Andre said, smiling down at Josie. "Took me three years to find Lana, then another to figure out I liked them, and we were in the same school. Then another year and a half to tell them I liked them." He said, grinning widely. "You're like a puppy." Josie said with a laugh, looking over the list of books she had to buy. "He looks the same as your boyfriends when they talk about you, so I don't know what you're on about." Josie turned bright red and went to smack her father's side, but the bigger many ducked between two book cases with a laugh. He barely fit in the small space, and the awkward position sent Josie into a fit of giggles. They quickly shushed each other and pulled him out before they got in any trouble.

The three quickly found all the books Josie needed for the year, and their team work made the rest of their shopping go by swiftly. Arya was standing in front of the ice-cream shop when they wandered close, arms crossed as he appeared to be lost in his thoughts. He looked up when they came near, a small smile pulling at dark skin as he pushed off from the wall. "They're finishing up paying for Henri's new robes; he grew without realizing so he had to be re-measured." Arya explained, raking his fingers through his hair and smiling as the two siblings joined them.

"How do you know Josie?" Andre asked when the group sat down with their ice-cream, Josie licking the drip of coconut ice cream that was trying to escape down her hand. "S-She sat next to me when she first came to Hogwarts,-"Bijou started, almost dropping her ice-cream cone when Andre directed a question at her. "And then she came to me for help on her studies." Henri finished for his sister, smiling brightly. "That was very nice of you." Her father continued to talk to the two siblings, Paxton and Arya falling deeply into a conversation about Quidditch. The sun was getting low in the sky when they finished, Josie's father standing and stretching before turning to the teenagers. "We should get going; it's getting to be that time."

Reluctantly Josie parted with the three other students and her cousin, following her father out of the alley and towards what she was sure was going to be the worst night of her life. "It will be alright, mon lapin." Her mother said as they walked towards the white arches of the front entry way. "Just ignore her and be yourself. We're right here. " Her father added, patting her shoulder and kissing her cheek as the door opened. "Hello!" Delephine said cheerfully as the door opened and Josie's grandfather looked out at them. "Hello, I'm so glad you're here." He replied in French, smiling at the three before settling eyes on Josie. "Josephine, you've grown more, and you look so pretty." He said, taking her hand gently and squeezing it. "Thank you." she replied softly, smiling at the elder man before following her family inside. "You can take the pastries to the kitchen; everyone is in the living room." He instructed, motioning Josie and Andre to the large glistening kitchen to set down the pastries they had brought for the meal.

Josie hesitated in following her father into the living room, gripping the cold marble counter till her knuckles turned white. She didn't want to face her grandmother and her other family, not after her outburst at their last get together. "It will be alright. Stay with me and no-one will harm you." her father said softly, taking her hand in his and leading her out of the room. As soon as she entered the living room all eyes turned to her, except for her grandmother who kept looking directly into her glass of wine as Josie's cousins ran to her side and began talking to her for the first time in years. "You look so pretty!" "I love your dress, where is it from?" "How's school, do you like it?" "Tell us about those friends of yours, what are they like?" "Leave her alone, she can't answer you all at once." The male that broke the chatter confused Josie, causing her to spin around and come face to face with a boy she didn't entirely recognize.

"You remember your cousin Marius, you two used to play in the garden at his parent's house for Easter." Delephine spoke up, placing her hands on the seemingly older boy's shoulders. Josie looked over his soft features, rose tinted hair and sparkling amber eyes until she recalled the boy. The last time she saw him was at New Year's when she was 9, and then he was a very small boy with darker hair and braces. When she was six she had accidentally exploded a rose when her magic began to show, and his memory had to be obliterated of the incident so his parents and the rest of the muggle side of the family wouldn't know of their wizarding relatives. "Of course, your hair is lighter but I remember. It's nice to see you again." She said politely, holding out her hand for him to take. He smiled widely, taking her hand and pulling her across the distance into a hug. She barely heard him with her nose buried in his chest. "I tried to go blonde a couple of years ago, it's never been the same since." He said with a smile, pulling back to look at Josie.

"All right, all right. Enough of this pointless chit-chat, it's time for dinner." Her grandmother's voice caused Josie to flinch, her eyes returning to the place they had been at the floor as she followed Marius and her mother to the table. Josie took her seat between her parents, Marius and his mother sitting across from her as all eyes turned to her grandfather. "Thank you all so much for coming, it means so much that you all could make it this year for a milestone, my wife's 50th birthday." "For the 10th year in a row." Andre muttered under his breath as her grandfather was talking. Josie had to keep herself from laughing as the speech continued, finally finishing in a toast to her grandmothers good health and beauty. Josie ate slowly, picking at her food in order to keep attention off of her.

"Josephine, how has your summer been so far?" Marius asked from across the table, sipping on a glass of wine as he looked at her. A bit upset her plan to not bring any attention to herself failed, Josie set down her fork and looked up at him. "It's been all right, the same as usual. And yours?" she replied. "It was fine, I took an apprenticeship at a law firm for the summer to gain some experience. Did you do anything interesting?" It took a minute for Josie to figure out what she was going to say. She didn't want to say anything about the World Cup, nor her going to the twin's house in fear of her starting something up from her grandmother. Finally she sighed and spoke. "I spent a lot of it reading, spent some time with my friends, nothing unusual."

"Which friends?" Josie froze, her throat tightening and her mouth going dry. "Well, Josie and I went to visit her very close friends at their house. We had a very nice dinner with their family. And then I had the pleasure of meeting some of her friends from school when we went shopping for supplies, a student younger than her and two more one year ahead of her." Andre answered for her, his hand slipping below the table to take her hand and hold it tightly. Josie could still feel it shake even in his grip. Chancing a glance at her grandmother, Josie felt her blood run cold as she met the judging gaze that was looking her up and down. Josie stared down at the grey fabric of her dress, pulling at the sleeves of her sweater to keep her from making herself bleed. "I suppose I would not be wrong to assume that the close friends were those two boys she's gotten herself tied up with." She said, glancing at her mother.

"Yes, they are." Her mother said proudly. "How big is their family did you say?" Josie wanted to yell, tell her grandmother had no business knowing anything about the twins or the Weasley family. But she didn't. "There are seven siblings. Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and the youngest Ginny. Then there's Mr. and Mrs. Weasley." Josie answered, trying to keep her tone as even as possible. "It's not very nice to speak when you're not the one being spoken to." "I'm sorry but I thought it would be alright since my father answered for me but a minute ago with no objection from you." Josie replied, finally looking up from her lap and looking her grandmother in the eye. "I know the Weasley family better than my mother, I attend school with the five youngest of the seven, have talked to the two eldest casually, and have met their parents. My father has met the twins and the rest, but has only really talked to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. My mother has met the twins once and talked to them briefly. When someone is asking about a subject it is best for the most informed person to give them an answer to keep from misinformation being spread." She was surprised she didn't stutter, but she felt her neck heating up as she turned red. The table was silent for a long time, before Marius final spoke up to break the silence.

"I agree."

"That's our girl!" Josie squeaked as she clung onto Lee Jordan for dear life as he swung her around the slowly filling platform. "Lee put her down, well, as much as you can put her down." Marina said with a laugh, earning a glare as Lee set her down the couple of inches to the platform. "She's gaining on you Lee, she may be taller than you soon." "Oh shove off, I'm not that short." "You're shorter than me." Josie laughed as the two argued, finally stopping them to make Marina hold her scarf while she took off the red sweater she had been wearing. The steam from the train was making her quickly overheat, and she wasn't about to stand there sweating waiting for the Weasleys to arrive or for the train to leave.

"Holy shit Josie!" Marina cried, staring at Josie as she shook out her hair till it fell properly again and tied the sweater around her waist. Glancing nervously at her parents talking with Marina's, the smaller girl shot her a warning look before questioning. "What?" she asked, her still thick French accent tripping up Marina for a second. "First you turn into a badass telling off your grandmother, and now you turn into a total babe? What happened?" Marina talked excitedly as she circled Josie, pushing aside the sweater to look at her thighs and rear before her victim swatted her away. "What the hell are you talking about?" Josie asked in a hushed whisper. "I thought your thighs looked thicker than usual in those shorts, but I couldn't tell the rest with that giant sweater on you so I assumed it was just the bleaching." Josie felt hurt for a moment, assuming Marina was hinting that she had gotten fat and quickly moving to put her sweater back on.

"Honey," Marina said as she threw Josie's scarf back around her neck. "You got curves! Well, more curves than you used to." "I swore I gained weight though, with not walking around as much." Josie added, thinking back to how her pants and skirts had been fitting tighter when she was packing for the school year. "If you did, it all went to your hips and thighs. Even if you're still chubby, and that's not a bad thing, you definitely filled out. Look at your waist; it's so much smaller than I remember." Marina chattered on, her hands poking at the curve of Josie's wasit. Josie felt herself heating up at Marina's choice words, crossing her arms over her stomach and tugging her white t-shirt down. Turning to look at herself in the reflection in the windows of the Hogwarts express, Josie guessed Marina was right. She did seem a little bigger in places than before, but she didn't find it that noticeable. She still looked like the same chubby girl as she usually did, her stomach poking out over the top of her shorts and her knee highs barely fitting around her calves.

The train whistled and the three students immediately turned, Josie running to her parents and hugging them both tightly. "We'll miss you sweet heart, make sure to write." Her mother said, gripping her tightly and kissing her cheek before passing her to her father. "Be safe, and remember to have fun. We're so proud of you." he said before turning her and pushing her towards the train. She pushed passed people as she stuttered out excuses to get to the train, falling in line behind Marina. In a momentary stop, she turned to find herself face to face with Charlie Weasley. "Hello Josie, you look nice." He said with a grin, looking her up and down before patting her shoulder. "Have a good year; hopefully I'll be seeing you soon." She didn't have time to respond before Marina was pulling her into the train and down the hall to what had come to be their compartment.


	45. Don't Wanna Go Back To Where I've Been

Josie almost ran into someone with Marina tugging her along, turning to apologize until she met the eyes of Charlie Camson. "Hello Josie." She said, her face falling a bit slack as she looked the other girl over. The two had not seen each other since the pub that night of the World Cup, and the only comfort Josie had is that Charlie had escaped before her. "I'm glad to see you're safe." She said simply, leaning against the wall for balance as the train began to move. Josie turned to see Marina gone, rolling her eyes at her friend. "What are you doing out here? I never see you on the train." Josie asked, a bit confused. Charlie was always around the other Slytherin students, and was rarely by herself when in a setting such as this. "Malfoy was annoying me, so I'm going to get away from him and join my actual friends in another compartment. I was staying with my cousin but I've decided against it." Charlie said, her bracelets jingling as she pushed the hair that was falling from her bun out of her face. "I'm terribly sorry." Josie said, feeling a bit awkward hearing about such personal troubles from Charlie. "Don't worry about it, I just can't stand listening Malfoy go on about his father and how great he is for another second." Charlie laughed as she picked a piece of lint from her striped shirt, the slight folds where she had it tucked into the high waist of her grey jeans to her obvious distaste as she fussed with them.

"Telling everyone about your obsession with me Camson?" Josie turned to the voice behind her, finding Draco Malfoy and his friends sneering. She took this as her cue to leave, silently creeping past the younger Slytherin boys and waving to Charlie once she got past them. They barely noticed her. "Just how absolutely awful it is to listen to you worship your father like he's God." Charlie retorted, smiling at Josie slightly before turning to Malfoy. "My father is-" "A respected, high caliber, well known, ministry member who is so close to the minister they might as well share a bed, we know Malfoy. My mother works at the ministry too you know, you're not special." "Your mother works filing papers and keeping track of names." "At least people at the ministry actually like my mother."

Josie didn't hear much else before she was pulled into a compartment by Fred and George, both of which hugged her so tightly she might have snapped in two. It wasn't until they let go of her and stepped back that anyone said anything. "Told you." Marina said, satisfaction leaking from her words as the twins all but drug their eyes over Josie. "Bloody hell, you're right." George said with a grin, a whistle from Fred following as Josie turned as red as the sweater around her waist and hid her face in her hands. It wasn't until the twin's laughed and pulled her to sit down that Josie removed her hands and turned to look at the two of them. Her breath caught in her throat. She had forgotten how much they had grown over the summer, the tips of their hair brushing against their shoulders and any boyishness gone from their features. Now they were definitely young men, and the idea made Josie's stomach tense.

"Earth to Josie." Marina said with a laugh, waving her hand in front of Josie's face. "Welcome back love." Fred said as she looked away from staring at them and flushed furiously. Lee Jordan broke the silence, standing up suddenly and grabbing Marina's hand. "I'm hungry come on." He said as he tugged at her. "We just had lunch." Marina laughed, standing up despite her protest. "Lunch didn't include chocolate." Lee said with a smile, dragging her out of the door and sliding it shut behind her. Josie had no time to wonder what was going on. Immediately a hand was on her hip, her lips occupied before she could blink. Lips moved fiercely against hers, a leg pressing itself into the cushion between her own as her chest was pressed against another and her head tilted back until it hit the seat behind her. The strain on her neck was ignored as a tongue slipped between her lips and brushed against hers, her heart hammering in her chest as she reached out to grip his shirt.

He pulled away before she could knit her fingers in the fabric, her eyes barely opening and registering it was Fred in front of her before an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her to straddle George's lap. His lips locked with hers as his hands pulled her body against his, kissing her deeply and nipping gently at her lip before brushing his tongue against the same place. His fingers dug into the small of her back as he kissed her, the smile on his lips pressing against her cheeks. He pulled away all too soon, leaving her panting and flushed. "Welcome back indeed." She said with a laugh, rolling off and placing herself back in her proper place before Marina and Lee came back in seconds later.

"Some rich Slytherin wiped out all of the trolley, we could only get a few things." Lee said, throwing a package of Coconut Ice to Josie and some Caldron Cakes to the twins before sitting down. "Are you gonna tell her how you almost blew up a muggle taxi." He said through a mouthful of chocolate. "You did WHAT?" Josie asked loudly, staring at the twins incredulously as they crumpled into laughter. "Our fireworks went off in the back of a taxi; we didn't do it on purpose." George laughed, ruffling her hair and slouching back into his seat. "Yeah, well your badass of a girlfriend told off her grandmother big time, and that was on purpose." Marina said with a grin, ignoring Josie's glare. "Really? What happened this time?" The five talked as the rain drummed outside, finally getting changed last minute before gathering their things and making their way towards the carriages.

The group ran into the castle, Josie's hair protected under her cloak from the pouring rain. Upon hearing McGonogall yelling up ahead, they quickly ran past the rest of the students to find their places at the table before it became too full. "Wonder who will teach Defense Against The Dark Arts this year?" Fred said as they watched the first years file in from the back. Just last year Josie had been standing up there with the first years, waiting to be sorted and standing out like a sore thumb. She remembered looking and seeing the twins at Gryffindor table, and now she was sitting here between the two of them watching as the new first years listened to the sorting hat sing the same awful song it did to her. George took her hand under the table and squeezed it tightly.

Soon enough the feast was underway, and the food was as delicious as she had remembered it to be. "Is it me or do the professors look antsy?" Marina said, pushing a piece of bread around her plate to soak up the remaining leftovers. "I agree, like they're all keeping a secret." Lee added through a mouthful of potatoes. "Whatever it is, Charlie, Bill and mum knew about it." Fred said, crossing his arms on the table and eyeing the long table of professors as they ate. "I wish they'd get on with it already." "I'm sure they'll tell us soon enough, calm down." Josie said with a laugh, dragging Fred back into his seat when he jokingly jumped up to confront the long table at the front of the room. The room was in a roar, voices laying over each other until they became one noise. Looking around, Josie spotted Arya talking to the rest of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team with Henri by his side, Bijou talking to Neville Longbottom down the table from her, and Charlie laughing with what looked like to be a group of friends as who Josie recognized to be her brother wiped whipped cream off his face. Everyone seemed so at ease, so happy despite the pounding rain and dangerous wind blowing outside.

As soon as the headmaster stood, the storm made itself known as everyone fell silent. "So, now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention while I give out a few notices." Dumbledore started. "Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include-""Take notes you two, he's talking about you." Lee joked to Fred and George. The twins smiled in return, winking at their friend before going back to listening as Josie laughed between them quietly. "It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year." "What?!" Lee, Josie and Marina yelled, looking at the twins expectantly. They could only stare wide eyed, mouths agape before setting into a hard line as they looked down the table to Alicia and Angelina, then to Harry Potter, the entire Quidditch team all sharing the same shocked expressions. Josie quickly looked to Arya and his Quidditch team at the Hufflepuff table, who were talking in hushed tones to each other as Arya held Henri's hand tightly.

"You can't cancel Quidditch for an entire season." Lee argued before being shushed my Marina. "Apparently you can." Josie said quietly, her thumb running circles over the back of Fred's hand as she rubbed Georges shoulder to try and comfort the two. "For a good reason it sounds like." She added. "There is no good reason to cancel Quidditch." Lee argued. "You're not helping Lee." "Well I'm sorry but I don't understand what could be so impor-" The door to the Great Hall threw itself open as the most sinister man Josie had ever seen walked through the tables, all eyes watching as he drug himself towards the front of the hall where he was offered a seat next to Dumbledore as the students stared in astonishment. "May I introduce our New Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Moody." The hall was deadly silent as Hagrid and Dumbledore applauded to welcome the new professor. "Dad went to help him this morning, that's Mad Eye Moody." George commented quietly, turning to look at the rest of them. "Wonder how he got that nickname." Josie said, her voice laced with sarcasm as she watched the new professor make himself at home. "This year should be interesting."

The quiet awe at the new addition to Hogwarts staff ended quickly as Dumbledore began to speak again. "We are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century." The five friends shared a look, everyone tensing to hear what was coming next. "It is my great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year." The hall was silent for a moment, and only a moment, before Fred Weasley said what everyone was thinking. "You're joking!" he yelled, rising from his seat just a few inches. The hall erupted in laughter, Josie falling into a fit of giggles against George as Dumbledore answered. "I am not joking Mr. Weasley, though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about troll, a hag, a leprechaun who will all go into a bar…." Josie was laughing too hard to notice who exactly stopped the headmaster from finishing his joke, George's laughter behind her shaking her as she tuned back in.

"Some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely." Josie sighed, sitting back against George to listen idly. She knew of the Triwizard tournament, her father had talked about it once or twice when she was younger, but she never expected it to happen again during her life time. " The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of Wizardry-" Josie froze. "Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang." She couldn't listen anymore, the words became warped and muffled, yet they were still registering. She knew she had blanked out but she didn't know for how long. "The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October." Oh please no, not again.

"I'm going for it!" She vaguely heard Fred yell beside her, the twins oblivious to her imminent break down. She felt Marina watching her, analyzing her, but she couldn't move. She felt the glimmer of excitement around her as the rest of the students listened, but all she felt was dread. The moment the headmaster called for bed she was gone, barreling down the tables with Marina hot on her heels as she heard the twins yelling in frustration behind her. She didn't make it into the common room, she didn't know the password, so instead she lost Marina as she turned and headed down a hallway to sit and wait until she heard someone who did.

Soon enough she heard the twins go through, and after minutes of waiting she followed after, muttering the password before stepping through the secret door hoping no-one had noticed her absence.


	46. Black Magic Woman

“Where the bloody hell were you?” Lee asked loudly, Josie flinching. “Lee stop.” The twins and Marina said together, Marina pushing Lee down onto the couch and shushing him. “What happened, I turned around and you were gone.” Fred said, helping her down into a chair and pushing her hair out of her face. “It’s dumb, don’t worry about it.” Josie muttered, covering her now bleeding fingers. “It’s not.” “You’re upset.” Josie sighed. “It’s Beauxbatons.” She sighed, shrugging off her robes and leaning back in the chair. “What about them?” George asked, his brow furrowed. “You idiots, she used to go to school there.” Marina sighed, pouring Josie a cup of water before handing it to her. “So?” “Merlin…” Marina sighed before smacking him in the back of the head.

“Don’t you think if she left there to come here then she must have a reason for leaving?” All eyes turned on Josie, whose skin crawled with their gaze. “I thought it was because she didn’t like it.” George said, taking Josie’s hand in his. “What did they do?” Shaking her head Josie took her hand from his and crossed her arms over her chest, sighing loudly as she sunk down into the chair. “They didn’t do anything to me, the teachers are fine, and the headmistress is a wonderful and understanding woman. I just didn’t fit in. The other students,” Josie sighed. “They’re all beautiful, thin, polite, confident, and I’m not. I felt judged, I didn’t belong, I wasn’t comfortable in myself. It all made my anxiety and how I felt about myself to be worse than it is now. I was heavily medicated for my attacks, my grandmother wasn’t allowing me to change schools, I felt trapped.” Choking on her own tears, Josie ran her fingers through her hair before continuing. “I don’t hate Beauxbatons, I’m not fond of many of the students because of how they treated me, I don’t personally like how you’re taught and expected to act, I hate how it’s glorified and I hate the position I was put in there. I’m scared I’m going to be forced back at any moment and that I’ll lose everything I have now. It just brings back bad memories.”

The room was silent for a long time, no-one moving except for Josie to wipe her eyes. Fred was the first one to shift the thick air, picking Josie up from her seat before sitting there himself and cradling her in his lap. “You’re not going back.” “We’ll fight to keep you’re here” George added as he sat in front of her, taking her hands in his and smiling up at her. “I know, I just can’t help being afraid.” She said, sniffling as she stood up and straightened out her skirt. “Look at me, first night and I’m already a mess.” She sighed, laughing softly. “I think most of us are usually a mess.” Marina smiled.

The next morning she laid in her bed for a long time before she decided to get dressed, walking down to breakfast after everyone else had already sat down and begun eating. George and Fred moved immediately when she appeared, separating for her to sit and smiling at her. “How many classes did you overload yourself with this year?” Fred asked as McGonagall passed out the students schedules for this year. “Too many, as usual.” George added as he took Josie’s schedule from her. “How many?” “Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, Alchemy, Transfiguration, Apparition, Charms, Ancient Runes, and Ghoul Studies.” George listed, shaking his head at her before kissing her temple. “You’re ridiculous.” He laughed. “I like to learn!” she exclaimed, smearing jam on her toast and threatening to stick it to Fred’s face.

“You seem better.” Lee commented as he sat at across from them, immediately piling eggs onto his plate. “Marina had a long talk with me last night, so yes I feel better.” Josie said, licking butter from her thumb. “About what?” “None of your business.” Marina added from across the table. “So, are you boys going to try and sneak your way into the Triwizard Tournament?” she asked, turning her attention to the twins. Josie sighed loudly, shooting her a look as she grinned.

“Of course!” “Why wouldn’t we?” “It can’t be that hard.” The twins said, grinning proudly. “You’re not going to get in.” Josie said, smiling when they both turned to her. “Oh yeah, why do you think that?” “Because you can’t beat something like this, it’s structured to keep people out who aren’t of age for a reason. You two are extremely talented but I’m afraid this may be out of your league boys, some magic can’t be beaten.” She smiled, leaning over and kissing their cheeks in turn before standing up. “Oh yeah? Watch us.” They said together, standing up after her and following her Defense Against the Dark Arts, Josie urging them to hurry up so they could get there early enough to avoid angering Professor Mad Eye first thing in the morning.

“Who pissed in his pumpkin juice?” Marina sighed as they finally got out of class, the five of them heading outside into the warm air to relax before. “You’d be harsh too if you’d been an auror for a millennium.” Lee said, throwing himself down into the grass and sprawling out. “He’s an arse.” “I think he’s brilliant.” The twins said together. “I think he’s dreadful.” Josie replied, sitting down on the grass and crossing her legs. “It cause you’re girls.” Lee said, throwing an apple up into the air and catching it. The twins groaned loudly. “There he goes.” “He’s done it again.”

“Excuse me?” “Excusez-moi?” Josie and Marina exclaimed. “Next time keep your foot out of your mouth.” George sighed, pulling parchment out of his bag. “What do you mean ‘because we’re girls’?” Josie asked, brow arched under her bangs as she joined Marina in staring Lee Jordan down. “I just mean that sometimes girls don’t understand what its like for someone to go through all that, all the stuff it takes to do a job like an auror.” “Lee Jordan if you do not shut your mouth right now you can forget getting any of this for a while.” Marina said. “I’m just saying, it’s a fact.” Lee replied, tossing his apple into the air again. It took seconds for Josie to flip her wand between her fingers and stop the fruit inches away from his outreached fingers. “Girls understand what it’s like, there are aurors who are women Lee. Girls just don’t allow things to turn them into gruff jerks with no sympathy for others and excuse their behavior with their occupation.” “Name one auror that’s a girl.” Lee shot back, yanking his snack out of Josie’s spell and taking a large bite out of it. “Neville Longbottom’s mother.” Lee stopped, teeth embedded in red skin as juice dripped down his chin. “That’s what I thought.”

“Don’t underestimate girls-“ “They’ll get you in the end.” The twins chuckled. “I assume you know this because of Ginny?” Josie asked, placing her wand back into her robes before shrugging them off and lying back until her head rested in Fred’s lap behind her. “Of course.” Fred replied smiling as he looked down at her. The group fell quiet for a while, enjoying the breeze blowing through the trees and the sun shining down on them. Josie almost fell asleep when Fred began to run his fingers through her hair, the only sound Lee chewing and the waves of the lake. Josie finally opened her eyes when fingers brushed over her cheeks and cradled her face. She looked up to see Fred looking down at her, shaggy hair hanging around his face and his tie hanging loosely and askew around his neck. “You’ve gotten more freckles.” He said softly, grinning widely. Her already hot cheeks warmed more as she blushed, her own hands coming up to cover his. “Probably from being out in the sun more than usual.” She replied, curling her fingers around his palms and holding on as he dropped them to rest beside her head. “It’s adorable.” Movement in the corner of her eye caused Josie’s head to turn, George looking up from the parchment he was working on to smile at her. “He’s not wrong.” George said, setting his things aside to move closer to her. His knee bumped against her hip as she let go of one of Fred’s hands to take his.

“Get a room.” Lee groaned. “You’re making me sick.” Fred and George shared a grin before the latter stood up quickly, pulling Josie up with him and ignoring her shriek of surprise as he scooped her up into his arms. Josie could hardly register where the ground was he moved so fast, gripping at his robs around his neck for stability. “Alright-“ “-race you there then.” They said as Fred snatched the apple out of Lee’s hands and tossed it into the lake before taking off running up the hill, George close behind him with Josie clinging onto him for dear life. “Oi! Not fair!” Lee called after them as he scrambled up after them. “You idiots left everything!” Josie heard Marina yell, barely audible over her own laughter.

The first weeks of school passed by quickly, Josie keeping herself busy with school work and helping the twins with their creations. She liked helping them decide clever names and color combinations for the wrappings, but wouldn’t dare try any of the nasty sweets they finalized. She hadn’t seen the two of them all morning, and suspected they had locked themselves up between classes in their hide out testing and creating new things. Josie had busied herself with reading ahead in her classes for most of the morning, but she desperately needed a break. Slinging her bag over her shoulder she stood from the common room table and headed out of the room, skipping down the stairs and beginning her walk around the castle. Most all was normal; it wasn’t until she doubled back around to the front entrance of the castle and saw the group of students huddled around the sign in front of the staircase that something tipped her average day.

“Triwizard Tournament: The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at 6 o’clock on Friday the 30th of October. Lessons will end half an hour early. Students will return their bags and books to their dormitories and assemble in front of the castle to greet our guests before the Welcoming Feast.” Josie read to herself, feeling her heart sink into her feet. “Merveilleux, absolument merveilleux.” She muttered to herself, hiking her bag higher up on her slumping shoulder. “You’ll start to look like a Unicorn if you don’t stop with the long face.” A voice said beside her, Josie jumping before turning to look at who had spoken. Charlie Camson popped the green bubble she had blown with her gum before smiling at her widely. “You doing alright?” she added, pushing her bangs out of her eye and pinning them in place with a bobby pin. “I’m fine, thank you for asking.” Josie replied, stepping away from the growing crowd and pressing her back against the opposite wall. “Are you not ecstatic about this life threatening event that’s going to be over running our school for the next few weeks?” Charlie leaned against the wall next to her. “Not entirely. I’m assuming you have the same opinion?” “I think everyone is far too excited over something they can’t even participate in.” She said, watching as a group of third years Hufflepuffs bounced excitedly.

“I’ll agree with that.” Josie smiled. “How are the boyfriends?” Charlie changed the topic so quickly Josie’s head almost spun. “They’re fine, doing as they usually do.” “Causing mischief?” Josie couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course.” There was a pause, before Josie asked a question she had wanted to ask for a while. “Anything interesting in your life? I never hear much about you.” Josie didn’t like that their friendship was so one sided, Charlie seemed to know so much about her but she knew nothing about Charlie. It was rare for the girl to mention her own life and it was only ever in passing. Charlie had begun to answer her when she was cut off from a passerby, the drawling voice floating over the two girls. “Fraternizing with the enemy again Camson?” Josie couldn’t help but laugh at Charlies expression, an over exaggerated eye roll and a raise of her lip in disgust. “Quidditch is over Malfoy, the enemy now is the other schools.” “Still, this will only last the year.” Josie couldn’t help but watch the two of them interact, it was highly entertaining. “Exactly, a year for you to get the hell over it.” The smile that twitched on Charlie’s lips as she bantered with the boy made it obvious that Charlie did not hate the other Slytherin as much as she was trying to pretend she did. “Besides, you’re the one planning to fraternize with the enemy; you’re practically oozing over the guests from Durmstrang. You’re more excited than the girls are.” Charlie’s eyes lit up when Malfoy stuttered over a response and slunk away before she turned back to Josie.

“It’s fine, same old as usual.” Charlie smiled stepping away from the wall and smiling at the curly haired girl who came to stand next to her. “Ready to go?” the other girl asked, smiling politely at Josie before closing the compact she had been holding. “See you around Josie; yell if you need me to knock anyone to the floor.” Charlie joked, following after her friend and leaving Josie alone. Once again Josie got nothing out of the younger Slytherin girl. Wondering if Charlie kept her life to herself on purpose as she continued her walk, Josie headed towards the great hall for lunch.


	47. A Boy Act Like A Clown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Hey guys! I’m sorry it’s so long in between posting, life is kinda all over the place right now! I really appreciate every single one of your reviews and views, and I’m so happy so many of you like my story. If you like my writing, maybe share a little love to my other Harry Potter story “Leave It All Behind” if you’d like to. It is linked to this story, and you get a little more of Charlie’s back ground and her story at Hogwarts with that one, as well as more of my OC’s and a more rounded view of what’s happening in these characters time at Hogwarts. Charlie was my first ever Harry Potter OC and she is very near and dear to my heart. Her story is not near as cheerful and playful as this one is(mostly), and it’s definitely a darker side of what’s going on. But, I’m a Slytherin, so I’m a little biased. If not, that’s okay! I’m going to write a TON of Harry Potter stuff, so don’t worry about it ;) Thank you so much guys!)

The whole castle was bustling, even Peeves was minding his manners as he floated down the hallway above their heads as all students returned to their houses to dress as instructed and put away their books. “How do you think they’ll come? By train or-“ “I can promise you that Beauxbatons will not arrive by Hogwarts express.” Josie stopped Lee as they stepped through the port hole. “How the bloody hell are you so sure?” Josie rolled her eyes before looking at the now shorter-than-her boy. “Because I know.” She followed Marina up the stairs to the girl’s dormitory to put away their things. “You’ve been very tense today.” Marina commented as she fluffed her hair in the mirror. “I’m sorry, I just…I’m really not excited for seeing Beauxbatons again. It brings back uncomfortable memories.” Josie said quickly, ruffling her bangs and straitening her robes. “It’ll be fine, just be you. You’re at Hogwarts now; you don’t have to follow their rules.” 

Josie nodded timidly before following her back down the stairs to meet up with the rest of Gryffindor house. McGonagall was rushing all the students into lines, Josie falling behind Marina and watching as the twins and Lee excitedly talked about seeing the new schools. Their house gathered with the rest, waiting patiently in the cool evening air to wait for the other schools to arrive. Josie watched as some of the younger students buzzed with excitement, chattering to each other while their heads of house shushed them. The wait felt like it was forever, Josie getting antsier as time went on. Picking at the skin around her fingers, she winced when she broke and began to bleed, hiding her blue nail polish under her sleeve. 

“Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!” All heads turned when Dumbledore spoke up, younger students frantically calling out “Where?!” while trying to see over their friends. Josie sighed, leaning back against the pillar behind her while her friends looked around them for any sign of an arrival. Looking towards the sky again, she decided to take pity on the clueless students. “There!” she yelled, loud enough for everyone to hear as she pointed towards the tree line of the forbidden forest. Everyone instantly turned, Fred and George smiling widely at her before following her fingers. As everyone scampered to figure out what it was exactly, Josie fluffed her hair with her fingers before taking George’s hand in hers to keep from harming herself. “What is it?” Marina asked excitedly, turning back quickly to watch the splotch on the horizon come nearer. “It’s a carriage.” “No bloody way something that big is a carriage.” Lee added, from his spot standing above them on the stone opening in the wall behind them. “You’ll see.” She replied. 

The entire group of students reeled backwards as is landed, the large palomino horses clashing their hooves against the ground and the powder blue carriage rocking slightly until it settled. The silence that followed was short, the door opening and a younger student stepped down the golden stairs that extended out and stepped aside. Anxiety hit Josie immediately, worried of who was going to step out of the carriage first; the headmistress or the students. Her question was quickly answered when Madame Maxine stepped out of the carriage into a sea of shocked students, earning a few gasps in her usual fashion. 

Madame Maxine was the only person at Beauxbatons that Josie ever felt respected her as a person. She laughed to herself as everyone’s necks tilted backwards to look up at the very large woman, following the headmasters lead and applauding with the rest of the students as Maxine looked around. “My dear Madame Maxine, welcome to Hogwarts.” Dumbledore said, holding a hand out to her and kissing hers when she took it. “Dumbly-dore, I ‘ope I find you well?” “Merlin, do I sound like that?” Josie muttered to herself, glancing at the twins. “Used to-“ “Kind of.” They replied, grinning widely. “You do more when-“ “-you go home. “ “It’s not that bad though.” “It’s cute.” Josie couldn’t help the flush that came to her cheeks, looking back towards her past head mistress.

She immediately stiffened as the Beauxbatons students stepped out of the carriage, shivering in their light robes against the autumn breeze. “Bloody hell, did you wear that?” Fred commented, looking down at her with raised brows. “I did.” She replied, raising her brows when his grin widened. “They’re gorgeous, how much where they?” Marina asked. “Too much, my mother never let me know the price.” “Why aren’t they wearing bloody cloaks, its autumn.” Lee asked loudly, gesturing towards the Beauxbatons students. “Probably because they wanted to look nice.” Josie replied, sighing softly and leaning into Fred as she watched the two headmasters’ converse. “Oi, do you still have that?” George asked with a grin, watching as they began to walk towards the castle. “Bloody hell…” she heard Fred mutter. Josie’s eyes rolled, looking at the two of them questioningly. “Yes, why?” She asked. Their grins fell into smirks as they looked her up and down. “We need to come over during the holidays.” They said at the same time. 

“Quoi?” she asked turning towards them and crossing her arms. “So you can put it on for us of course.” Fred grinned, slipping an arm around her waist and trailing a finger down her spine from over her robes. “Get a room.” Marina groaned, causing Josie to jump and turn bright red. She was cut off before she could reply, Lee Jordan almost jumping out of his skin and yelling at the top of his lungs. “The lake! Look at the lake!” He shouted, pointing down towards the Black Lake below them. Everyone surged forward, Josie standing on her toes to try and see over the crowd. Hands took her waist and lifted her up to stand next to Lee on the ledge, waiting until she was steady before letting go. She smiled down at Fred, who kissed her hand with a wink before turning back to watching the massive ship that was rising from the water.

The line of students that walked towards the castle were the biggest teenagers Josie had ever seen, all of the wide as a house and strong. “Dumbledore!” The man in front called out loudly, voice booming off the walls of the building. “How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?” “Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff.” Dumbledore replied, shaking the man’s hand vigorously. “That’s Krum, that’s Viktor Krum.” Lee yelled, his voice hardly as hushed as Josie assumed he thought it was. “Shut up before you fall off there.” Marina hissed, hitting him in the knees and effectively almost making him fall. The Durmstrang students disappeared into the castle, the Hogwarts students shifting to follow after as the heads of house called for their students. “Madame.” George said with a grin, holding his hand out towards her. Her hands braced on broad shoulders, his gripping her hips and lifting her before placing her on the ground and kissing her cheek before leading her to fall in line as the Hogwarts students stepped inside. 

Josie followed after the twins and Lee talking about Viktor Krum, smiling slightly as she passed Charlie with her friends. One of them was searching widely in her pockets, sighing loudly and stomping her feet. “I can’t believe I forgot my lipstick!” she cried, huffing before stalking back into line after the rest of Slytherin house. Charlie caught Josie’s eye, rolling her eyes widely and giving a small wave before following after. Josie took her seat next to the twins, Marina, and Lee, who had sat near the rear door close to the Durmstrang students standing idly around it. Looking over towards the Ravenclaw table, Josie noticed the Beauxbaton students sitting there, still clutching their shawls and looking around with disdain. “They’ve got a stick up their arse.” Marina joked, watching the blue-clothes students. “It’s definitely not like Beauxbatons.” Josie said, readjusting herself before leaning her arms on the table. “You didn’t react like that, did you?” Lee asked.

“Of course not.” Fred said, turning around abruptly from trying to get a look at Krum. “Her eyes were the size of dinner plates.” “Looked like she had seen a wild unicorn.” Josie couldn’t help but laugh. “How do you two know? We weren’t friends yet.” She smiled, raising a brow as they glanced at each other and grinned. “That doesn’t mean we weren’t looking.” They said together, devilish smirks on bother their faces as the quirked a brow at her in unison. “You two are on a roll.” Marina laughed, patting Josie’s hand across the table as her face turned red. “Lee you may be kicked out of your room later.” She added, snapping Josie from her staring between the twins. “Marina!” She hissed, snatching her hand away from her friends and turning her body away from the group. 

After a moment of silence she felt a pair of hands on her waist, pulling her back with a quick jerk and landing her against one of the twin’s chests. She guessed it was Fred, who had been sitting closer to her and had been the more adventurous of the two today. Her back stiffened when his breath hit the back of her neck, arms wrapping around her waist and holding her tight. Josie’s hands began to shake when his nose pressed against the back of her neck, knowing his lips were only centimeters from her skin and that his hips were pressed firmly against her rear. She felt her abdomen tighten and her throat dry out, the dull ache in her pelvis becoming stronger as he rubbed circles on her hips. “Leave her alone, you’ve won dominance.” Marina laughed, pulling them both back to reality. 

“Excuse me?” Josie asked, turning to look at the two of them. “One of the Durmstrang boys was staring at you.” Marina clarified, smiling to herself. Josie glanced behind her to look at the Durmstrang students that were moving to all sit at the Slytherin table. “Why do I notice nothing?” was the first thing out of Josie’s mouth, the group erupting in laughter and quickly shushed by McGonagall as she walked past. “Because you don’t notice that type of thing.” Marina replied once they had calmed down. “You really don’t.” “Especially when it comes to boys.” Josie glared at Lee and Marina, scowling at the two of them. “It’s true, these two were drooling over you for months before you three owned up to it.” Lee said, pointing towards the twins and gesturing widely. “He’s not lying.” The twins grinned. 

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and most particularly guests. I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable.” Dumbledore announced, all heads turning towards the front of the hall. Josie spied a Beauxbatons girl roll her eyes, another laughing to herself. Her stomach turned over, shaking her head and clenching her jaw at their rudeness. “The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast. I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!” The plates filled with food in regular fashion, the tables overflowing with variety Josie hadn’t seen before, and a few she had. “Wait, are these French?” Marina asked, poking at a dish. 

“Oui, some are. That’s coq au vin. It’s chicken in wine, and that’s bouillabaisse, soup with shellfish, and that’s something you may not want.” Josie said as she pointed to platters. “What is it?” Lee asked as he picked up a piece. “It’s snails.” She replied, holding back her laughter as he dropped it. Picking it up herself and putting it on her plate, and digging in. Minutes later she realized that the boys had stopped eating, leaning out of their seats to look down the table. Josie took one glance down the table and knew exactly what was going on, sighing softly and glancing towards the twins. Both of them were looking down the table, heads turned away from her to watch as Fleur, noticing that their brother Ron looked like he was about to pass out from speaking with her. Marina smacked the back of Lee’s head loudly, the sound startling all three boys enough to turn back. “What the hell are you doing?” Marina hissed through her teeth. “I can’t help it! She’s different.” “She’s part veela.” Josie clarified, tearing apart a roll a bit aggressively and looking at her plate to avoid glaring at her boyfriends. “You’re kidding.” Lee asked in interest, leaning across the table. “I’m not.” 

The table was quiet for a moment before the twins both groaned loudly in unison. “What the bloody hell is he doing here?” George sighed. Josie looked up watching as Percy and Mr. Crouch conversed at the table with the rest. The plates soon cleared and a hush fell over the hall as Dumbledore stood once again, Josie muttering mostly to herself. “We’re about to find out.”


	48. So Tell Me Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ((Hey guys! Thank all of you so much for your support, I really appreciate every review, message, favorite, follow, everything. It any of you would like to talk to me about things, feel free to message me. I always try and answer questions. I'm sorry the updates have been sparse and far apart, I've been going through some difficult times lately that took a major toll on my mental health. The nature of the issues made it hard for me to write this fanfiction in particular, but I think I'm back in the groove.  
> Please review, message, fav, follow, whatever if you'd like to! Thank you all so much once again.
> 
> WARNING: This chapter is just slightly NSFW))

Yanking the twins back from almost leaning across the table in excitement, Josie listened intently to what Dumbledore was saying, the entire hall going silent. “The moment has come. The Triwizard Tournament is about to start.” She could practically feel Fred and George’s glee between them, smiling at their childlike nature. “I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket-“ “That’s a poor choice of words.” Lee muttered. “-just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.” “What’s in the chest?” Fred wondered out loud, leaning further back in his seat to look around the table ahead of him. “-and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways… their magical prowess-their daring-their powers of deduction- and of course, their ability to cope with danger.”

“Perfect.” The twins muttered around her, Josie shaking her head at their determination. “As you know, three champions compete in the tournament, one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an imperial selector; the Goblet of Fire.” With three taps of a wand the casket creaked open, the entirety of the student population leaning forward to get a better look as Dumbledore reached inside. What came out was far less dazzling than what Josie expected, a plain wooden cup. But inside she could see dancing blue and white daring to fall over the brim. Their headmaster continued as he placed it on top of its container for all to see.

“Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet. Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it was judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.” “There’s going to be a stampede for that.” Marina sighed, earning a smile from Josie. “To ensure no underage students yields to temptation-“ “He means you two.” Josie joked to the twins, earning a roll of both their eyes and her hands being captured by theirs.

“I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line. Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all.”

Josie got up from the table, straitening her robes as the twins fell into an excited conversation. “An age line!” Fred was saying, his grin almost breaking his face as he bounced. “Well that should be fooled by an aging potion, shouldn’t it? And once your name’s in that goblet, you’re laughing-it can’t tell whether you’re seventeen or not!” “He’s on a run, best to ignore it.” Marina sighed, rolling her eyes as Lee joined in with them. “They’re mental.” Josie laughed, watching as Hermione Granger began attempting to rain on their parade. “But I don’t think anyone under seventeen will stand a chance, we haven’t learned enough-“ She was saying. “Speak for yourself.” Josie said, snorting loudly when she realized George had said the same.

“Don’t you start doing it to.” Marina joked. “Well she’s wrong.” Josie argued, following the rest of Gryffindor house as they filed out of the hall. Fred and George were already zipping through the crowd, Josie’s hand quickly caught by George and she was pulled along with them, Marina and Lee trying to keep up behind them. “What are we doing!?” She cried, giggling as they tumbled out from the lines of students into the mostly clear foyer. They didn’t answer, pulling her up the stairs and into the common room. “Boys! What are we doing!?” She asked again, slowing down and fixing the robe that was falling off her shoulders before giving up and letting it hang off her. “We’re going to make an aging potion.” “You can come is you want-“ “-you don’t have too-“ “-but we’d like you to.” They said, taking her hands and grinning down at her.

“Sorry boys, I don’t think I want to be involved with your hijinks this time.” She said, shaking her head at them as more students filed in. “Fine then-“ “-But we’re doing this first.” They took her hands again and pulled her up the stairs to the boy’s dormitory, quickly shutting the door behind them when they reached their dorm. “Wha-“she started to ask, but she didn’t get to answer. George had picked her up the second the door had closed, the force from her back hitting the wood knocking the door on its hinges. She felt a bit dizzy from being moved so fast, coming back into herself to realize her legs were locked around his waist. His smirk was barely caught before he kissed her, lips crushing hers. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he pressed harder against her, hips and chest pressed against hers. Josie could feel the flush spreading down her cheeks onto her chest, trying to keep up with him and slipping her fingers into his hair when the hand gripping her thigh tightened. Fingers slipped under her shirt and her sweater to press into her bare skin, sending shivers down her spine.

Josie didn’t even know when he had untucked her shirt, but she didn’t have time to wonder as she was pulled from the wall and set down onto the bed with a bounce as all human contact left her. It didn’t last long, Fred leaning over her until her back hit a mattress as he kissed her fiercely. His teeth caught her lip and her leg slid between hers until it bumped into her pelvis, earning a surprised gasp from Josie that allowed his tongue to slip to meet hers. Fingers tangled into the front of his sweater, robes discarded when she had been occupied, as he slid a hand down her waist to grip her hip and pull her harder against his thigh. She tried to keep in the sound that formed in her throat, instead gripping him harder. Obviously aggravated he moved to trail kisses down her jaw, nipping just behind her ear while forcing her hips to rock again. Josie couldn’t catch it this time, gasping loudly and letting what she had been attempting to hold in out before she could cover her mouth.

Fred smiled against her skin, kissing her cheek playfully before standing up and taking her hands to help her up. She hardly noticed George quickly shrug his robes off before the both of them pressed kisses to her cheeks in unison. “For good luck.” They said with a sly grin, earning a soft glare from Josie before they headed towards the door, unlocked it and turned to her with a “See you tomorrow!” before taking off down the stairs. Josie don’t know how long she sat there, still slightly dazed from their fast paced attack on her. Finally she found her feet and stood, peeking in the mirror to fix herself before she moved to leave. Lee and Marina walked into the room, both with questioning looks.

“What was that? We got caught behind Durmstrang.” Lee asked, obviously oblivious. “They went to make their aging potion.” Josie said, clearing her throat halfway through to keep herself from sounding too dreamy. “What else happened?” Marina pushed, giving her a once over before laughing at the look Josie gave her. “Come on, it’s late.” Was all she replied, walking out of the room and heading down the stairs. “Did they just pull you up here to snog the living fuck out of you?” Marina asked, laughing as Josie shushed her. They quickly made their way to their dorm, changing for bed. “I don’t know what’s gotten into them.” Josie commented as they lay in bed, roommates already asleep for the night. “They’re excitable teenage boys with raging hormones, what do you expect.” Marina sat up and moved when Josie shot her a look.

“Babe, they’re so into you it’s not even funny. I wish Lee looked at me the way they look at you sometimes.” Josie felt herself flush. “Plus, they’re high off being territorial. One of those Durmstrang boys was eyeing you like a wolf, and he wasn’t just thinking of asking you to Hogsmead.” “You’re joking.” Josie said, shaking her head before clutching her pillow to her chest. “I’m not.” It was quiet for a while as she thought, shaking her head as her lip curled back. “That’s ridiculous, plus it makes my skin crawl.” Marina laughed, covering her mouth to not wake everyone. “I don’t even think about that kind of thing except-“ “Except with those two demons.” Marina finished, Josie’s lips turning up at the corners.

“Exactly.” “That’s good, because they sure as hell think about it with you.” “What?!” Now it was Josie’s turn to cover her mouth, hitting the animagus that crumpled into a heap of silent shaking laughter. “How do you know?” Josie whispered, watching as Marina fixed the wrap around her head and grinned slyly. “I did stalk Lee as a cat for a long time; you overhear things when people think no-one is listening. Speaking of Lee, you know he can’t keep his mouth shut.” “What did you hear?” “I don’t know Josie, this is some good dirt, and it is pretty…dirty.” Marina grinned. “Please?” Josie jokingly bat her lashes at her friend, smiling behind her pillow. “That might work on the twins, but not on me.”

“Please Marina, I’ll do something in return. You don’t have to tell me everything.” Marina thought for a moment, dramatically placing a finger on her lips for effect. “Alright fine, but you’ve been warned. Those two have plans for you that your precious vulnerable little head may not be prepared for.” “Marina.” Josie rolled her eyes, shaking her head at her. “I’m just saying.” “Well say more.” “Josie Desmarias, was that an attitude you just gave me?” Both girls fell into giggles, collecting themselves minutes later. “Alright, fine.” Marina started after they had collected themselves. “Well, before they officially met you, I heard a lot about the pretty French girl from the train. They kept it clean for a while, but they we’re getting rowdy one night eating too many sweets and sipping on fire whisky Lee snatched.”

Josie’s mouth fell open, shocked to find this out. “It wasn’t much, but enough. Your boyfriends get very…loose when they have a few.” “What in the world does that mean?” “They say exactly what’s on their minds.” “Like?” Josie pushed, her head tilting when Marina smirked at her. “Should I be blunt?” “When aren’t you?” More laughter, Josie shaking her head at her. “Come on, you’re killing me.” “Your curves are very much sought after-don’t roll your eyes at me I’m not done yet- basically they’ve been dying to get you naked and sprawled out on their beds so they can have their way with you.” Josie could feel herself turning red. “They had a very long, very descriptive talk about having your thighs over their shoulders and what they would do with that.” It took a moment for what Marina said to click with Josie, her face going bright red as she covered it.

“Oh my goodness.” She muttered into her hands, feeling her entire body heat up. “I mean obviously they want to fuck you into whatever surface available, but I thought that was far more interesting for a teenage boy to want.” Josie flailed her hands to shut Marina up, having to stop to catch her breath. “Fireworks aren’t the only things those boys have exploding in their free time.” “Marina!” Josie hissed, her entire body twitching as she tensed and her skin was one fire once again.

After she had calmed down and forced the thoughts from her head, she came out from behind her pillow. “Now your turn.” Marina said, grinning widely. “What do you want to know?” “I want to know two things.” Marina adjusted herself, leaning forward on her hands. “How far have you three gone?” Tonight was apparently the night of Josie’s face being flushed, the dreaded red once again creeping up her cheeks. “We’ve kissed pretty heavily, they’ve gotten my shirt off, and they’ve taken theirs off.” She said softly, watching her friend. “That’s all? Geez and I thought Lee and I were taking it slow; you three have been together longer than we have. And with their imaginations with you…nevermind.” She sighed, pausing. “Have you ever, you know, gotten off to thoughts of them?” Josie was stunned Marina asked such a personal question, then again she wasn’t surprised at all.

“I-uhm-yes.” She said softly, hiding her face when Marina broke out into a grin. “That’s all.” The other girl said, sitting up and moving off the bed. “Goodnight, sweet dreams!” She sang, almost skipping over to her bed. Josie sighed, fluffing her pillow and laying down. This was turning out to be an even more eventful year than she had thought.


	49. Flames Illuminate Our Faces

“Have you seen them? I haven’t seen them since last night.” Joise asked Marina as they walked down the stairs, past the Goblet of Fire and into the great hall for breakfast. “I don’t know, I haven’t even seen Lee this morning. So he’s either sleeping in or with those two.” The two girls sat down, Josie stacking a piece of toast with eggs and bacon before sandwiching another on top of it. “You’re in a hurry.” Marina laughed, spreading her own toast with jam. “I have a funny feeling we need to get back out there soon.” She replied, downing a glass of orange juice at double her usual speed.

“Why do you think that?" “Because it’s the twins.” “Fair enough.” The two of them stood up and headed towards the crowd gathering around the Goblet, eating their breakfast as they watched first years rough house around the age line. Josie had just finished her makeshift sandwich when there came a ruckus from the staircase, familiar laughter floating down the stairwell. “Oh no.” “This is going to end so well.” Marina sighed sarcastically. They watched as the twins almost jumped from the staircase and stepped towards the goblet, grinning as they gloated to their younger brother. “We’re going to split the thousand Galleons between the three of us if one of us wins.” Lee grinned, almost bouncing out of his shoes.

“Oh no, I didn’t know he’d gotten dragged into this too.” “It is Lee.” Josie laughed, though her humor was short lived. Every muscle in her body stiffened as Fred stepped forward, moving forward herself to get closer to them. She had a very bad feeling about this. No one breathed as Fred stepped through the age line, every eye trained on him as they waited. Josie breathed a sigh of relief as nothing happened, George excitedly jumping forward as the brothers beamed at each other in brief triumph. “No!” Her voice rang out, hardly audible over the loud sizzling that attacked her ears. Both twins went flying backwards, and Josie had never known she was able to move so fast as she dropped her bag and ran to their sides.

It wasn’t until she was at their sides that she noticed they were laughing, pointing at the long white beards that had grown from each of their faces. It took a moment of wide eyed staring for her to join in, snorting into her palms at how ridiculous they looked. As scared as she was that they were badly hurt, it was hilarious seeing them like this. “I did warn you.” All heads turned to see Professor Dumbledore walking out of the Great Hall, shaking his head at the twins who were still shaking with chuckles. “I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr. Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though, I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours.” “Come on, best go with them.” Marina appeared beside Josie, holding her bag. “You two are a headache.” Josie sighed as the twins helped each other up, the group of five heading upstairs to the hospital wing, the laughter of the three boys floating down behind them. 

“There’s a reason I let you two go first.” Lee smiled, earning a swing at the back of his head and a loud crack. “You’re just a chicken.” Marina laughed as he rubbed the spot where Fred’s hand had made contact. “I heard Angelina is putting her name in.” Marina continued as they climbed the stairs, turning the corridor. “Oh bloody hell, she is old enough isn’t she?” Lee whined. “Good on her, I hope she gets it. Be better than any of the other jokers I’ve heard are entering.” George added. “You mean like you?” Josie grinned, earning a playful glare as he leaned down to kiss her. “No, no way. Not until you get that fixed.” She cried as she ducked out of his way, shoving both the twins towards the large double doors. “C’mon Josie, haven’t we been punished enough?” “No.” 

By the time the twins were successfully de-bearded the school had begun to collect in the great hall once again. Marina had dragged Josie back to their dorm, bribing her with free sweets on the next Hogsmead trip if Josie allowed her to do her makeup to pass the time. The both of them reappeared with matching red lipstick and soft gold eyelids, Josie becoming increasingly paranoid of the possibility of lipstick on her teeth as they talked. “Someone looks nice.” Joise’s head turned to find Charlie grinning at her, arms linked with another girl. “Thank you, so do you. You always look so nice.” Josie replied, turning herself in her seat to look up at the younger girl. “I try, thank you.” “You don’t need to try, you’re a fucking babe.” Marina commented.

Josie’s eyes widened at her input, shooting the other Gryffindor girl a look. She had never said anything like that to the Slytherin girl; in fact she often seemed to have a general dislike for Slytherin students. Luckily the only one who showed any negativity to the comment was Charlie’s friend, who stood in open mouthed shock as she stared at Marina in distaste. Charlie on the other hand crumpled into laughter, hands delicately covering her face as she shook her head. “I’ll take the compliment.” She replied, sticking out her hand. “I’m Charlie, Charlie Camson.” “I know.” Marina replied, earning another chuckle. “This is my best friend Moira Mordred. Apparently we’ve got to be going back to the snobs; I don’t think the socket of my arm can take any more of her tugging.” With that she was whisked away by her friend, the curly haired girl who had been wailing about her lipstick the night before. 

“What was that about?” Lee asked as the three boys sat down across from them. “I was wondering the same thing.” Josie replied, looking at Marina. “What? I heard some good things, plus she gave that bitch Seraphina a bald spot so she can’t be all bad.” “I’m glad you’re coming around.” “Who was that?” George asked, wrapping an arm around Josie before kissing her cheek. “Charlie Camson, Slytherin fourth year.” Marina replied. “Camson? Does her dad work for the ministry?” “Her mother does, she and her family were with me at the World Cup.” “That’s who that is?” Fred asked, craning his neck to look over at the Slytherin table. “That’s her.” “Remind me not to include her in any pranks on Slytherin.”  
Josie rolled her eyes, turning her head towards the rest of the students. “Heard Diggory put his name in.” Alicia said as she sat down, the hall slowly filling with students. “I hope its Angelina.” Fred commented. “She’d definitely be a tough one to beat.” Marina added. Not really being too swayed in anyone’s favor to win, Josie kept herself out of the conversation by watching the crowd and loading her plate with food. She hadn’t eaten much in the day due to being pre-occupied with the twins and Marina, and all she cared about the cup was whoever did get picked didn’t get too hurt.

Soon enough the tense air around her became too much, Josie turning to look towards the head of the room along with everyone else. The plates cleared as they all finished their meal, every person in the room surging with excitement and immediately going silent as Dumbledore stood. The twins craned their necks, Josie herself feeling a bit anxious as she leaned back around Fred to get a better look at the adults seated at the table. Madame Maxine was tense, already strong features sharper as she clenched her jaw. She couldn’t see any other of her friends, the hall packed with the massive number of students from across borders. 

“Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision,” All ears turned towards their headmaster. “I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions names are called, I would ask them to please come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber where they will be receiving their first instructions.” “Not much time for celebration, eh?” Fred muttered, turning to look at Josie over his shoulder. She only nodded, taking George’s hand behind her and watching as Dumbledore swept his wand across the hall, the lights dimming around them. The light from the Goblet of Fire was the only thing keeping the room lit, its blue ethereal glow sending shivers down Josie’s spine. “Any second,” Lee muttered across from her, her eyes barely glancing his way before their attention was snatched by the spectacle in front of her. 

Turning red, the flames within the goblet sparked into the air, George’s hand becoming trapped in her tight grip as Josie jumped as a spire of flame spouted from its rim. A single charred piece of paper floated through the air among the flames, caught by Dumbledore as the flames receded. “The champion for Durmstrang,” She glanced towards the Durmstrang students at Slytherin table, barely catching a glimpse of Charlie and the girl she knew now as Moira glancing around them at the foreign students. “Will be Viktor Krum.” Josie had to cover her ears to block out the explosion around her, every student breaking into applause and the Weasleys, plus one Jordan, all yelling approval in unison. She barely caught Krum disappearing into the doorway as the crowd died down. “You Quidditch lot are going to deafen me.” She muttered, earning a chuckle from both Fred and George. 

It went silent again soon after, Josie finally feeling the tension set into her. It was either Hogwarts or Beauxbatons next, and she had a feeling she knew who was going to be chosen from her prior school. Bursting crimson again, the goblet shot the next piece of parchment into the air to be caught by her current headmaster. “The champion from Beauxbatons,” Josie stopped breathing. “is Fleur Delacour!” “It’s her, Ron!” Josie couldn’t help but roll her eyes as the boys around her craned their necks, shoving her elbows into the twin’s sides as they watched her prior school mate shake out her hair and sweep to the front of the room. “What?” “Stop that.” She said stiffly. “Alright but we’re just saying-“ “You need to break out your old uniform.” She couldn’t help but smile at their flirting, shaking her head at the two boys on her sides.

“Merlin, someone’s disappointed.” Marina commented, nodding to the Beauxbatons students who had begun to cry. “It’s a lot of pressure, I’m sure they were all convinced they had to be the ones to be picked.” Josie replied. The room once again fell silent, and every Hogwarts student was at full attention. Angelina was gripping Alicia’s hand down the table from her, the two girls tense. Everyone jumped when once again the flames shot the final name into the air, and no-one breathed as it fluttered into Dumbledore’s hand. “The Hogwarts champion,” “C’mon, say it.” Lee muttered across from her, saying what everyone was surely thinking.

“is Cedric Diggory!” Hufflepuff absolutely exploded, the rest of the school either breaking into applause or groaning in disappointment. Josie clapped with them, spying the semi-familiar face of Henri’s boyfriend Arya grinning widely as he shook Diggory’s hand as he passed. The applause took forever to die down, and Josie couldn’t help but giggle at the blatant difference between the three schools behavior. As soon as the excitement died down, Dumbledore took his chance to speak. “Excellent! We now have out three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster.” “Place your bets mates; this is going to be good.” Fred commented to the few around them, earning a wide grin from Lee and a hard eye roll from an obviously disappointed Angelina. 

“By cheering your champions on, you will be contributing in a very real-“He stopped, and it didn’t take Josie long to figure out why. “Boys, look.” She whispered, placing her hands on the twin’s shoulders to pull them from their hushed scheming around her. In front of all of them, the Goblet of Fire was turning red once again, sparks shooting widely from its rim. They all watched in awe as another, final piece of parchment shot from its depths, and Josie immediately felt uneasy. As he had three times before, Dumbledore reached for the paper to catch it between his fingers. Not a breath was taken as everyone waited as he read the paper, watching in suspicion of what was to happen next. All heads turned as he finally spoke, a hush falling over Gryffindor table and dread sinking into Josie’s stomach at Dumbledore’s words. 

“Harry Potter.”


	50. Something Felt So Wrong

The members of Gryffindor house were chattering as they exited the hall, split between gossip and excitement. Fred and George were already planning some grand surprise for Harry, whispering excitedly with Lee ahead of them. “It’s ridiculous, how’d he even get his name in?” Angelina was complaining to Marina as they walked, obviously sore from another student being picked instead of her unfairly. “Who knows, this is weird.” “It’s always weird here.” Josie added with a smile, the girls all laughing at her comment. They paused as the students parted ways to their houses, waiting for traffic to clear. Josie had been surprisingly calm through all this, she thought she would surely have had some nervousness but hardly any had come upon her. 

A small cough from behind her turned her head, and her heart sunk a bit when she came face to face with a small crowd of students in powder blue uniforms. She had jinxed herself. The student at the front was someone that Josie had enjoyed talking to in many of her classes, another one a past roommate, another one of the few that had picked on her for her weight, all of them familiar faces. She felt her chest tighten, vaguely hearing Marina call the twin’s names over the ringing that went through her ears. 

“Hello.” She said, her voice soft and falling back into her French easily. The girl in front smiled at her, pearly white teeth shining. “It’s so good to see you, I was afraid you wouldn’t recognize us.” She said, looking at the girls around her. Josie felt her hands begin to shake, forcing a smile. Daphne, the girls name was Daphne she remembered. “Of course, you were in so many of my classes Daphne how could I forget? How are you all?” She hoped her voice wasn’t shaking, she hoped her hands weren’t shaking. Daphne lit up that her name was remembered, talking quickly. “We’re all wonderful, I saw you the night we got here and I couldn’t believe it. You disappeared; no one told us that you had transferred.” “It was a quick family decision; I thought someone would have said something. At least to my roommates, and then it would have spread.”

She looked at her past roommate, whose name she believed as Angelica. It felt like ages since she had seen any of them even though it had only been about a year. They all looked about the same to her memory, beautiful, dainty; perfect. Not like her. She felt her mouth going dry, swallowing hard. “You look wonderful; you seem to be very happy here.” Angelica spoke up, bright blonde curls bouncing from her pony tail. The others chimed in. 

“You look better; this castle has done some good.” 

“Yes, you’ve lost weight it seems.”

“And gained it back in better places.” 

She wanted to throw up, she wanted to run. They probably weren’t trying to be cruel, most of them at least, but it still was opening up the hole in her heart. Feeling the sweat run down her spine her throat began to close up, her eyes brimming with tears as they looked at her. Josie screamed in her mind for someone to help, because she was rooted to her spot with her stomach in her shoes and her muscles tense. Stuttering over her words she felt them staring at her and their gaze felt like fire, ice, swords and beaters clubs all at once. Where were Fred and George when she needed them?

“Josie, McGonagall wants to see you. You know how impatient she is, better come on.” Marina’s voice broke through the ringing, the touch on her arm jolting her out of her daze but pulling her dangerously closer to her imminent breakdown. “I’m sorry, we have to go.” “Nice seeing you.” Josie was surprised she could speak, letting Marina drag her away from her past and pull her stumbling up the stairs. They were in the midst of the stragglers, the last of all houses falling behind the rest. Josie still felt sick, the room spinning around her, her feet hitting the steps by memory as Marina almost pulled her arm off to get her up the staircase. 

“Lee Jordan!” Marina yelled next to her, her voice echoing up the walls as paintings turned in Josie’s peripheral vision to watch what was passing them. She vaguely became aware of Lee’s voice yelling back down at her, Marina calling up to him in return as they neared the Gryffindor common room. Josie was amazed her feet were moving and that she was standing with how badly she was shaking, her breath coming in gasps and tears beginning to roll down her face. Marina was saying something about the twins to Lee, her voice getting louder as she became more irritable. Josie couldn’t see anymore, but the addition of more stairs made her think that they were going up to one of the dorms. 

Her breaking came when she hit a bed, Marina taking her hands in front of her and crouching to look up at Josie as she began to sob. She could hardly hear Marina as she talked to someone else in the room, her own cracking cries and the ringing in her ears drowning them out. Josie wanted to form words, wanted to vocalize what was wrong, but she was having a hard enough time taking breaths. Calming herself wasn’t working; her knee’s pulling up to her chest as she ripped off her robe when she realized she felt like she was on fire. Rocking back and forth her hyperventilating only got worse, the lack of air getting into her lunges worsening her attack as she feared she would pass out. Absent mindedly she fell onto her back, more to stop her shaking than anything, but it opened her lungs enough to break her rapid breathing and allow her to begin her frenzied explanation. 

“I’m sorry I-“

“It just happened-“

“I can’t hel- I’m sorry.” 

She stuttered, never able to form a sentence as she talked quickly, falling into a broken mix of French and English as she rambled. Marina appeared over her, crouching on the bed and taking Josie’s face between her hands as Josie continued on. The upside down expression she bore was soft, determination lining sea foam eyes. “Josie, breathe. Its fine, you’re fine. No one is judging you for your feelings, you’re up here safe with us, and nothing can hurt you. Breathe, please, you don’t need to apologize.” Josie’s eyes were overflowing with tears as she spoke, her hands shaking by her head. Gripping onto Marina’s arms, she fell into the rhythm of breathing her friend was leading for her. 

Finally she regained control of her breathing, her sobs still coming like hiccups. She sat up, wiping the running mascara from her face and straitening her hair as her hands finally stopped shaking. Josie felt like she was going to be sick, her throat raw and her head throbbing. Looking around she saw Lee standing with his back to the door, looking awkward in the situation. Marina was behind her, hesitantly touching her back and rubbing her shoulders when Josie didn’t complain of being touched. They were in Lee and the twin’s dorm, they had to be because of Lee’s presence, but she saw George’s homework strewn across the floor at her feet and smiled to herself. 

“Where’d they go?” She asked, her voice cracking. “Rounding up snacks and people to throw Harry a party, they took off ahead of me up the stairs.” Lee answered. “They’re getting an earful from me. I ca-” “No, leave them alone. They didn’t know.” Josie cut Marina off, shaking her head. “Don’t tell them, they’re in their element right now. Its fine, it’s done. I’m sure it will happen again eventually; let them be there for that one.” Josie turned to look at Marina, smiling weakly. “I’m glad that you were there.” Marina smiled, pouncing on her with a hug and planting a bright red kiss on her cheek. “Always.”

She stood when Marina finally let go, fixing her robes and hair before walking to the door. “I’m going to go to bed, if they ask about me tell them I don’t feel well.” She said, looking at Lee and Marina. “No way, if you’re hiding in our dorm I’m coming with you and we’re eating sweets while we gossip.” Josie smiled at Marina’s ever abrasive personality, nodding her head. “Then it’s on you Lee, is that okay?” Lee’s concerned face broke out into a grin, nodding. “Yeah, it’s not really lying so they shouldn’t be able to see through me.” 

“You’re awful at lying.”

“I’m awful at lying.” Lee agreed with Marina, the three of them crumbling into laughter. Before Josie could walk out Lee pulled her to him, wrapping arms around her shoulders and closing her in a hug that crushed her. Laughing she hugged him back, patting his back and almost falling off balance when he slung her back and forth overzealously. “You’re gonna be alright, right?” he asked, letting her go out of the embrace but still holding her by the shoulders to look at her. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me.” She replied, smiling when he broke out into a grin.

“Not a chance.”

Back in their room, Josie changed into her pajamas and fell into bed. Marina made tea and dragged the large bag of sweets she had been sent from her parents from under her bed. They spread out the stash between the two of them on the bed, sipping their drinks and sorting through the pile. “You’re prettier than them, all of them, even the veela.” Marina said, breaking the silence. “Especially the veela.” She finished. Josie smiled, shaking her head at the comment. “No, they’re all very pretty. I just don’t fit in with them.” “You fit in here, with us. You’re a hooligan; it’s in your blood.” Marina joked, earning a piece of candy thrown her way. 

“It’s true! It’s why you can keep up with those two.” “I wouldn’t say I can keep up with them.” Josie replied. “Alright, it’s the reason you can PUT up with them then.” Marina smiled, opening up pieces of taffy before popping them into her mouth. “Have you heard the news about your Slytherin friend?” she asked moments later, Josie shaking her head through a mouthful of caramel. “Rumor is she and Malfoy are skirting around liking each other.” “What do you mean?” Josie asked as she swallowed, laughing as she talked through sticky teeth. 

“I heard Seraphina talking about how pathetic it was that, Charlie right?” Josie nodded. “That Charlie has a crush on Malfoy, rambling about how he was too good for her and so on, calling her a disgrace to purebloods, unsophisticated, fat, ugly, a ton of garbage.” Anger bubbled in her chest, feeling a bit protective for her younger friend even though Josie knew Charlie could hold her own. “Did you say anything?” “I told her to stop being sore that even 4th year boys like Zambini and Malfoy won’t fall for her tricks.” “Especially with that bald spot.” Josie added, covering her mouth as they both fell into laughter. 

“I’ve also heard that he likes her.” Marina added, finishing her tea and setting her mug on the floor. Josie raised a brow, a bit shocked. “Really? They seem to hate each other from when I’ve seen them interact.” “How so?” “They’re constantly teasing and poking fun at each other, they seem like they can’t stand to be near each other.” “It’s probably how they flirt; I’ll keep my eye on this.” Josie looked at Marina with a raised brow, unwrapping her chocolate slowly. “Why?” Marina grinned widely, tilting her head back and forth in mock thought before answering.

“Because it’s fun, and she’s your friend. So I need to get dirt on her.”

Josie shook her head at her, lying back on her pillow and finishing her tea. She fell into silence, worry that their relationship had changed due to Marina witnessing her attack beginning to gnaw at her mind. It was a big step forward, but she wasn't sure in what direction. The only other people to ever see her like that were her parents and the twins. She also worried about Lee, wondering if witnessing her attack had made his opinion of her change. “Josie.” She looked up from her fingers, finding Marina staring at her. “Are you going to be okay? I’ve never seen you like that.” Sighing, she nodded after a moment. “I’ll be fine, it was just so sudden and I didn’t feel like I had any control.” “I’ll still throttle the twins if you want me to.” Josie snorted, shaking her head as her hair bounced nearer to her shoulders than usual. “No, they mean well. It’s fine.” They fell silent, sitting in the darkness and listening to the noise downstairs. 

“Boys are idiots.” 

Marina and Josie shared a look, silence between them quickly broken as they both broke down laughing into the sheets. Josie was glad she had Marina, she was glad she had Lee as well, but she was thankful for the peculiar girl that had wormed her way into her life in the form of a cat. As wild as she was and as much as her antics embarrassed Josie, Marina was exactly what Josie needed at times. 

After all, everyone needs a best friend.


End file.
